Missing 2024 1098-T form but tax software is asking for one - what do I do?
I'm trying to do my taxes myself for the first time after graduating with my master's degree last May. When I got to the education section in H&R Block, it asked if I received a 2024 1098-T form, which I didn't get. I selected "no" but then it asked if I had a 2023 1098-T with box 7 checked, which I did have, so I selected "yes" for that. The problem is that the software is still asking me to input information from a 2024 1098-T form that I don't have. I paid all my tuition in November 2023, though I did make some small payments for graduation fees and other minor expenses in early 2024. I called my university's Bursar's office to check if there was a mistake, but they confirmed I shouldn't have received a 2024 1098-T since most of my qualified education expenses were paid in 2023. How do I proceed with my tax filing without the 2024 form? Is there a way to skip this section or explain that I don't have this form? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Samantha Hall
You're running into a common issue that affects many graduate students who finish school mid-year. The 1098-T reporting follows a calendar year (January-December), not an academic year. Since you paid your main tuition in November 2023, those qualified education expenses were reported on your 2023 1098-T (and that's why box 7 was checked - it indicates the payment was for academic periods beginning in the first three months of 2024). The small graduation fees you paid in 2024 might not have met the threshold for the university to issue a 2024 1098-T. In H&R Block, you should be able to indicate you don't have a 2024 1098-T by selecting "No" and then proceeding. If it won't let you advance, try entering zeros for the amounts or look for an option that says something like "I didn't receive this form." Some tax software has a bypass option for this scenario. Your education credits for those expenses should have been claimed on your 2023 return based on when you paid the expenses, not when you attended classes.
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Noah Torres
•Thank you for explaining this! I tried entering zeros but the software still wants me to enter something from the form. Is there any way to tell the software that the graduation fees I paid in 2024 were already accounted for in my 2023 return? I'm really confused because I can't seem to bypass this section.
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Samantha Hall
•The graduation fees you paid in 2024 weren't accounted for in your 2023 return - they couldn't have been since you paid them in 2024. However, they might not qualify as tuition expenses for education credits. Try looking for an option in H&R Block that says "I didn't receive this form" or "This form doesn't apply to me." Sometimes it's hidden in a menu at the bottom or side of the screen. If that doesn't work, you might need to enter the amounts you paid in 2024 manually - just the graduation fees and other 2024 expenses (not the tuition you paid in 2023). This would only be for the small amounts you mentioned paying in 2024.
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Ryan Young
I had a super similar situation last year with my taxes, and I found that using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) really helped me figure out what to do with my missing 1098-T. Their system analyzed my transcript from my student account and helped me determine exactly what qualified education expenses I could claim, even without having the official form. I just uploaded my student account statement that showed the payments I made, and their system sorted everything out for me. It saved me so much stress trying to figure out what numbers to put where!
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Sophia Clark
•Did you have to pay for the taxr.ai service? I'm trying to save money on my taxes and don't want to pay extra fees just to figure out what to do about a missing form.
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Katherine Harris
•I'm a bit confused about how this works. How does the system know what qualifies as an education expense? Does it connect with the IRS somehow or is it just interpreting your documents?
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Ryan Young
•You don't need to pay anything to get helpful guidance on your specific situation. I just used their free document analysis feature which was perfectly adequate for my needs. The system uses some kind of AI that recognizes education expenses based on IRS guidelines. It doesn't connect directly to the IRS, but it analyzes your documents and identifies qualified education expenses according to tax rules. It basically categorizes things like tuition, required fees, and course materials, then tells you which ones qualify for tax benefits. The explanation it gave me matched exactly what my tax preparer friend told me, but much faster.
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Katherine Harris
Just wanted to follow up - I decided to try taxr.ai after all and it was actually really helpful! I uploaded my student account statement showing the graduation fees I paid in 2024, and it clearly identified which ones were qualified education expenses. The system explained that since my main tuition was paid in 2023 (and reported on that year's 1098-T with box 7 checked), I only needed to report the small qualified expenses from 2024. It gave me the exact numbers to enter in my tax software, and I was able to get past that annoying form requirement. Honestly wish I'd known about this sooner - would have saved me hours of frustration trying to figure this out on my own!
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Madison Allen
If you're still having trouble with your tax software or figuring out what expenses qualify, you might want to just call the IRS directly. I know that sounds awful, but I've had great experiences using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to an actual person without the usual 2-hour wait times. I had a similar education credit issue last year and was completely stuck. Used Claimyr's service, got connected to an IRS agent in about 10 minutes, and they walked me through exactly what I needed to do. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c After struggling for days with confusing tax software prompts, it was such a relief to just ask a real person and get a definitive answer.
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Joshua Wood
•How does this Claimyr thing actually work? It seems suspicious that they can somehow get you through to the IRS faster than calling directly. Does it cost money?
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Justin Evans
•Yeah right. Nothing gets you through to the IRS faster. I've spent HOURS on hold before. If this actually worked, everyone would be using it. Sounds like a scam to me.
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Madison Allen
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Justin Evans
I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it since I was getting nowhere with my own tax questions. I was honestly shocked when I got connected to an IRS representative in about 15 minutes when I had previously spent over 2 hours on hold. The agent I spoke with explained that my situation with the 1098-T was actually pretty common. Since I paid qualified expenses in different calendar years, I needed to report them in the year I paid them, regardless of when I took the classes. They walked me through exactly what to enter in the tax software to get past that section. I'm usually the last person to recommend services, but this actually saved me a ton of time and frustration.
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Emily Parker
If you're using H&R Block, try clicking "I'll enter my information without the form" instead of saying yes/no to whether you received it. I had the same problem last year and that option worked for me. Then you can just enter the small fees you paid in 2024 manually. Remember that your main tuition expenses were properly claimed on your 2023 return if box 7 was checked on that form.
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Noah Torres
•Thank you! I just checked and I do see that option now. I think part of my confusion was that I started by saying "No" to receiving the form, which took me down a different path. When I went back and looked for the option you mentioned, I found it. I'll try entering just the graduation fees I paid in 2024. Does anyone know if graduation fees qualify as education expenses for tax purposes?
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Emily Parker
•Graduation fees sometimes qualify and sometimes don't - it depends on whether they were required for your enrollment or attendance. Generally, optional fees like ceremony costs, cap and gown, etc., don't qualify. But required graduation fees that you had to pay to receive your degree would typically count as qualified education expenses. If you're unsure, check your student account statement to see how the fees are categorized. Required fees will usually qualify, while optional services typically don't.
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Ezra Collins
Just to add another perspective - I'm a grad student too and had something similar happen. My university's financial aid office explained that schools aren't required to provide a 1098-T if you didn't have any qualified expenses in that tax year that weren't covered by scholarships/grants.
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Victoria Scott
•That's exactly right. According to IRS guidelines, educational institutions don't need to issue a 1098-T if there were no qualified tuition and related expenses paid that year, or if all expenses were covered by scholarships/grants. The November 2023 payment would've been on the 2023 form (with box 7 checked since the classes were in 2024).
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