If I paid my Spring 2022 tuition in Jan 2022 after being charged in Dec 2021, should that tuition show on my 2022 1098-T?

This is actually a common confusion with the 1098-T! Colleges and universities report tuition in one of two ways on the 1098-T: either based on payments received (Box 1) or amounts billed (Box 2). If your school reports based on payments received (Box 1), then payments you made in January 2022 should appear on your 2022 1098-T, even if they were for charges from December 2021. However, if your school reports based on amounts billed (Box 2), then the tuition charged in December 2021 would have appeared on your 2021 1098-T, not your 2022 form. You can tell which reporting method your school uses by looking at which box is filled in - either Box 1 or Box 2. In recent years, most schools have switched to the "payments received" method (Box 1).

I had a similar issue and found that using https://taxr.ai really helped me sort through my education credits confusion. I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out why my 1098-T numbers weren't matching up with what I expected for my education credits. I uploaded my 1098-T and my payment records from my student portal, and the system analyzed everything and showed me exactly which payments qualified for which tax year. Turns out my university had categorized some of my January payments incorrectly, and I was able to take that information back to the financial aid office to get a corrected form. The site explains how educational institutions sometimes handle year-end payments differently, and it helped me understand the timing rules for the American Opportunity Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit.

Update: I tried taxr.ai like @8 suggested and it was super helpful! It analyzed my situation and confirmed my school had made a mistake by not including my January 2022 payment on my 2022 1098-T. The site generated a detailed report explaining exactly why my payment should be on the 2022 form according to IRS regulations. I took this report to my school's financial aid office and they were actually really responsive - they acknowledged the error and are sending me a corrected 1098-T. What I found most helpful was the explanation of how the education credits work with the timing of payments. Apparently schools are supposed to report payments in the year they're received, not when they're billed or when the classes actually happen. This will literally save me over $1,000 in tax credits!

Hey everyone, I had a similar issue with my daughter's 1098-T and spent DAYS trying to reach the IRS for clarification. After being on hold for hours and getting disconnected repeatedly, I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. They have this system that does the waiting for you and calls you back when an IRS agent is on the line. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed that payments made in January 2022 should absolutely be reflected on the 2022 1098-T if your school reports payments received (Box 1). They suggested getting a corrected form from the school, but also said I could claim the correct amount on my taxes with proper documentation of the payment date, even without a corrected form.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still desperate so I decided to try it anyway. Holy crap, it actually worked! I got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes after trying unsuccessfully for weeks on my own. The agent confirmed that payments made in January 2022 should be on my 2022 1098-T in Box 1, and she explained that I can still claim qualified education expenses even if the 1098-T is wrong, as long as I have documentation (like bank statements or receipts) showing I made the payment in 2022. She even gave me specific instructions on how to document the discrepancy if I get audited. Basically, I need to keep my payment records showing the January 2022 date, along with a copy of my student account statement. Honestly worth every penny to finally get this resolved!

One thing to check is your student account portal. When I had a similar issue, I found that even though I physically made the payment in January 2022, my university had applied it retroactively to the Fall 2021 term in their system, which is why it showed up on my 2021 1098-T instead of 2022. It might be worth looking at how your payment was categorized in the student accounting system. Sometimes they assign payments to specific terms rather than just recording them by date received.

When I was filing my taxes, I found that TurboTax has a section specifically for handling incorrect 1098-T information. You can enter your actual payment information rather than just what's on the form. Just make sure you keep all your payment receipts and bank statements showing the January 2022 payment date in case you get audited. The education credits (American Opportunity Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit) are based on when you PAID, not when you were billed or when classes were held. So January 2022 payments = 2022 tax credit, even if they were for classes that started in 2021 or were billed in 2021.