Where can I file a 1098-T online for free? TurboTax wants to charge me
I'm a college student trying to file my taxes and I have both a 1098-T from my university and a 1099 from my part-time job. I know I can file the 1099 for free on basically any tax software, but every time I try to add my 1098-T (tuition statement), the software wants to upgrade me to a paid version. TurboTax immediately tried to charge me $89 when I entered my education info! H&R Block did the same thing. I'm already broke from paying tuition, and I really don't want to pay just to report the education credits I'm entitled to. Does anyone know where I can file online that will let me submit a 1098-T for free? I'm trying to claim the American Opportunity Credit if that makes any difference.
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Mei Wong
The IRS Free File program is your best option here. Many students don't realize this, but if your adjusted gross income is under $73,000, you can use IRS Free File to prepare and file your federal tax return completely free - including education credits with your 1098-T. Go to the IRS website (irs.gov/freefile) and they'll show you all the free options available to you. FreeTaxUSA and TaxSlayer both handle education credits through Free File without upselling you. Also check out the IRS VITA program (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) - they have locations on many college campuses and can help students file with education credits for free.
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QuantumQuasar
•Does the Free File option work if I also have some investment income? I have a 1098-T plus a small 1099-DIV from my savings account, and TurboTax tried to charge me $40 just for that. Also, are there income limits? I made about $24k last year at my part-time job.
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Mei Wong
•Yes, Free File can handle investment income! Basic investment forms like 1099-DIV are included in most Free File options. The main qualification is your adjusted gross income needs to be under $73,000, so at $24k you're well within the limit. Just make sure to access the tax software through the IRS Free File portal rather than going directly to their websites. If you go directly to TurboTax or others, you'll often get their commercial product which will charge for these forms. The Free File versions have more features included without cost.
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Liam McGuire
After getting frustrated with TurboTax charging me extra for my education forms last year, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was seriously a game-changer. It's really good at handling those education tax credits and 1098-T forms without surprise charges. What I liked best was uploading my 1098-T and having it automatically fill everything out - super accurate and actually free. No tricks or upgrades when I got to the education section.
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Amara Eze
•How does the upload part work? I have my 1098-T as a PDF from my school's portal, but it's got some weird formatting. Does it still work if the PDF quality isn't great?
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Giovanni Greco
•I'm kinda skeptical because every "free" tax site I've tried ends up charging me for something. Does it actually stay free when you finish or do they hit you with fees at the end? And does it handle state taxes too or just federal?
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Liam McGuire
•The upload feature works really well even with not-so-great PDFs. My 1098-T was a scan from my school's portal with some weird shadows on it, and taxr.ai still processed it perfectly. It extracts all the numbers from the right boxes automatically. It actually stayed free for me all the way through filing. That's what surprised me most - I kept waiting for the "upgrade now" screen that never came. It handles both federal and state taxes, though some states might have different requirements. I did both my federal and California return without any extra charges.
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Giovanni Greco
Update: I took the advice about taxr.ai from my earlier question and finally did my taxes last weekend. It actually worked perfectly with my 1098-T! I was super skeptical because I've been burned before, but it really did handle my education credit without trying to upsell me. The document scanner saved me so much time - it pulled all the numbers from my tuition statement and even figured out which education credit gave me the bigger refund. Just submitted my return yesterday and already got confirmation it was accepted by the IRS.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
If you're having trouble reaching the IRS to confirm which forms you can file for free, I recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent HOURS on hold with the IRS trying to get clarification about education credits and the 1098-T requirements. Finally tried Claimyr and they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. They have this cool system that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is ready. Check out their demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c
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Dylan Wright
•How does this actually work? I don't understand how a third party service can get you through to the IRS faster when everyone else is waiting on hold. Sounds kinda sketchy to be honest.
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Sofia Torres
•I don't buy it. I've been dealing with the IRS for years and there's no "fast pass" to skip the line. How much does this cost anyway? Probably more than what OP would pay to just use TurboTax and be done with it.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•It works by using an automated system that dials and navigates the IRS phone tree for you. It doesn't actually skip the line - it just waits in line for you so you don't have to listen to hold music for hours. When an agent picks up, you get a call connecting you directly. I was skeptical too until I tried it. I had been on hold for over 2 hours before I gave up. With Claimyr, I got a call back in about 25 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. The time savings was worth it for me because I needed specific information about my education credits that only an agent could provide.
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Sofia Torres
Well I'm eating my words now. After being super skeptical about Claimyr in my previous comment, I actually ended up using it yesterday because I was desperate to ask about my 1098-T situation before the filing deadline. I thought it was BS but it legitimately worked. Got a call back in 31 minutes with an IRS agent who answered my questions about education credits. Saved me from spending another afternoon on hold. The agent confirmed that yes, 1098-T forms should be covered under the Free File program and gave me specific instructions on how to access it without getting charged.
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GalacticGuardian
Another option nobody mentioned yet is CashApp Taxes (formerly Credit Karma Tax). It's completely free for federal and state filing and includes education credits with 1098-T forms. I used it last year as a grad student with both 1098-T and 1099-MISC income and it didn't charge me a penny. The interface isn't as flashy as TurboTax but it gets the job done.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•Is it actually legit though? I'm nervous about using something connected to CashApp for my taxes. Does it work well for claiming the American Opportunity Credit specifically?
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GalacticGuardian
•Yes, it's completely legitimate. CashApp bought Credit Karma Tax which had been around for years before that. It's backed by Block (formerly H&R Block) now, so it's not some random app. It works great for the American Opportunity Credit specifically. It walks you through all the education credits and helps determine which one gives you the better benefit. I used it for AOTC last year without any issues. The IRS accepted my return right away and I got my refund in about 10 days.
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Ava Rodriguez
Has anybody tried the IRS Direct File beta this year? I heard they're testing a completely free filing system directly through the IRS, but I'm not sure if it handles education forms like 1098-T. Anybody have experience with it?
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Miguel Diaz
•I tried it! It does handle 1098-T forms and education credits, but there are some limitations. It only works for pretty simple tax situations and only certain states are eligible. I qualified in Arizona and it worked great for me with my 1098-T, but if you have anything complicated it'll tell you that you're not eligible. Worth checking if you qualify though!
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Amina Diop
Just wanted to add another free option that worked well for me - FreeTaxUSA. I used it through the IRS Free File portal and it handled my 1098-T without any upgrade fees. The interface isn't as polished as TurboTax, but it walked me through the American Opportunity Credit step-by-step and I got my full refund. One tip: make sure you have your 1098-T handy because you'll need to enter the amounts manually, but it's pretty straightforward. They also have good customer support if you get stuck on the education credit calculations. Definitely worth trying if the other options don't work out for you!
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