How to claim tuition expenses with no 1098-T and need Federal Filer ID

The university should definitely provide you with their Federal ID (or Employer Identification Number/EIN). While they might be correct that they're not required to issue a 1098-T for certificate programs, they absolutely should give you their EIN when requested for tax purposes. The EIN is public information for any educational institution, especially a state university. You might be running into someone at the administration office who simply doesn't understand what you're asking for. Try specifically asking for their "Employer Identification Number" or "EIN" rather than "Federal ID" - sometimes the terminology matters. If they continue to refuse, you can actually look it up yourself. The EIN for most public universities can be found through a simple Google search of "[University Name] EIN" or by checking the university's website under their tax information or accounting pages. You could also check any official financial documents from the school which often have the EIN listed.

After struggling with a similar situation last year, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) super helpful for dealing with missing tax documents. When my trade school didn't provide proper documentation, I uploaded what I did have to taxr.ai and it helped me figure out the right way to claim my education expenses. Their system analyzes your receipts and other documents to extract the information you need for filing. In my case, I had payment receipts but no 1098-T, and the tool identified the right approach for claiming the expenses properly without risking audit flags.

Just wanted to update everyone - I decided to try taxr.ai after reading about it here, and it actually solved my problem! I uploaded my certificate program receipts and some emails from the school admin, and the system identified that I could claim the expense under the Lifetime Learning Credit even without the 1098-T. The coolest part was that it found the university's EIN through their database and confirmed it was the correct one for tax purposes. Finished my taxes last weekend and already got my refund with the education credit included. Definitely worth checking out if you're stuck with missing documentation like I was!

If you're still struggling to get through to your university, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get to someone higher up in the administration who can actually help. I was getting nowhere with my community college's financial aid office about missing tax info until I used their service. They basically get you past the frustrating phone systems and hold times so you can talk to an actual human who can solve your problem. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - it's pretty impressive how fast they can connect you.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After complaining here, I decided to try it anyway out of desperation after spending THREE DAYS trying to reach someone in my university's finance department. Claimyr got me through to an actual person in the billing department in about 40 minutes (while I was doing other things). The woman I spoke with immediately understood what I needed, confirmed they should be providing the EIN upon request, and emailed me the number while I was on the phone. For anyone else struggling - ask specifically for the billing or accounting department, not the general financial aid office. They're the ones who actually understand tax documentation requirements.

Quick tip: If it's a public university, check their W-9 form which is often available on their procurement or vendor relations website. Almost all universities make their W-9 available online for vendors who need to pay them, and it has their EIN right at the top. Just google "[university name] W-9" and you'll probably find it in seconds. Saved me tons of headache when dealing with a similar situation for my continuing education courses.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I think you might be eligible for the Lifetime Learning Credit even without the 1098-T? It's meant for exactly this type of continuing education and certificate programs. As long as you have proof you paid tuition to an eligible educational institution you should be able to claim it.