1098-T
1098-T Information for 2023
SMU has used ECSI to process our forms since the 2014 1098-T form.
In 2017 tax year and back, your 1098-T included a figure in Box 2 that represented the Qualified Tuition and Related Expenses (QTRE) we billed to your student account for the calendar (tax) year. Due to a change to institutional reporting requirements under federal law, beginning with tax year 2018, we started reporting in Box 1 the amount of QTRE payments posted during the tax year from January 1 through December 31. Scholarships, grants and Third Party Billing credits for all posted dates from January 1 through December 31 were still used to report in Box 5 on the 1098-T form for terms posted in the tax calendar year.
Beginning in 2019, we started reporting Box 4 again. Box 4 is adjustments to 2018 payments and/or refunds of qualified tuition and related expenses made in 2019 that relate to payments received that were reported for any prior year after 2002.
Neither Southern Methodist University nor ECSI provides tax advice. The student and/or parent must contact their tax professional. Your personal financial records and payment information should be used to assist in determining eligibility for a tax deduction. Your personal financial records serve as the supporting documentation for your federal income tax return.
The SMU Transaction Details screen can be used to confirm the financial information generated on the ECSI 1098-T form. SMU Transaction Details will show all transactions (charges, payments, financial aid – grants, scholarships and loans) by posted date to the student’s account. This information is accessible by logging into my.SMU, select Student Homepage, click on the ‘Financial Account’ tile, click on ‘Transaction Details’ on the left-hand menu.
For general 1098-T information, view 1098-T form, and print form - students need to log on to https://heartland.ecsi.net/.
1. Then click tax documents
2. on the next page click on CLICK HERE TO SEARCH FOR YOUR TAX FORM
3. Type schools name under the schools name box and select school name from the window and click submit
4. Type first name, last name, full SSN or ITIN and zip code (The information entered would need to match what was provided in the 1098T file.) and check I’m not a robot box. Then click on continue.
5. If you need help then contact the ECSI customer service department at 1-866-428-1098.
- Students can sign up for Electronic Statements instead of a paper statement from ECSI by clicking on the Sign Up For Electronic Tax Statements link within the ECSI student portal.
- Benefits of signing up for an Electronic Tax Statement:
- Provides earlier access to go view and print the form than the traditional mailing process.
- Eliminates the chance that the form will get lost, misdirected or delayed during delivery, or misplaced once you receive it.
- This is easy and secure!
- Consent once and its good for every subsequent year you are eligible for an IRS 1098-T tax form. You can change your mind about Electronic Delivery at any time and withdraw your consent through the ECSI student portal.
Students may have noticed a change to the Heartland ECSI student website. Previously, students had the ability to access their tax forms directly from the home page without a Heartland ECSI profile. Students are still able to access their tax form without creating a profile by accessing the tax document lookup page here:
https://heartland.ecsi.net/index.main.html#/access/lookup.
If the student would like to create a profile to access his or her tax document, the instructions to create a profile, as well as the student’s Heartland Key, are included in the email Heartland ECSI sends to a student when his or her tax statement is ready. We have included those instructions below for your reference.
You can access your 1098-T statement quickly and easily by visiting https://heartland.ecsi.net/ using one of the following methods:
If you already have a profile with Heartland ECSI, please sign in. If you have not yet connected your tax statements to your account, you will need to connect them using your Heartland Key. Simply click on the Connect An Account button and enter your tax statement Heartland Key. The Heartland Key for your tax statements is XXXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX.
If you have not registered for an account, click on the Sign In or Register button in the upper right side of the page. Complete the registration section to create your profile and then connect your tax account by entering your Heartland Key. The Heartland Key for your tax statements is XXXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX
In the event that a student does not have the email containing their Heartland Key, he or she can simply contact our Customer Service Department at 866.428.1098 or via LiveChat from the Heartland ECSI student website. The student will need to provide basic information to authenticate his or her identity, and the Heartland Key will be provided
(Electronic consent should be done no later than December 31st to ensure you receive the 1098-T statement electronically.)
Prior year tax forms [2013 and back] provided by TCRS are no longer available.
Note: Third Party Billing credits on the student account (begins with item type 4 but does not include pre-payment or payment plan item types) are reported as a scholarship based on the IRS reporting requirement. {“Enter the total amount of any scholarships or grants that you administered and processed during the calendar year for the payment of the student’s costs of attendance. Scholarships and grants generally include all payments received from 3rd parties (excluding family members and loan proceeds). This includes payments received from governmental and private entities such as the Department of Defense, civic, and religious organizations, and nonprofit entities.}. SMU has added these item types in 2012 to begin reporting on the 2012 and future 1098-T forms.
Beginning with the 2013 1098-T forms and going forward, SMU will no longer automatically send a 1098-T form to a Non Resident Alien (NRA) student. These students have a USA Citizenship status of Non Resident Treaty or Non Resident No Treaty. If the NRA student wants a form provided, you will have to complete a request form to have one processed. The form will ask you to provide the SSN or ITIN information. The name on your SSN card or ITIN card should match what we have for your name in my.SMU.edu. The request form is on the Bursar website under the 1098-T tab. The form is called “1098T Request for NRA Student”. This request form will not be accepted unless it is completed and signed by the student. We must receive the original request form either mailed to the address at the bottom of the form or delivered in person to the Student Account Services window on the 1st floor of the Blanton Building. We do not accept the form by email or fax. Please note an NRA request form will have to be completed each year to receive a 1098-T form. We would prefer that you go to the Bursar website each year and get the new year request form in February and turn it in by March 1st. Once the NRA 1098-T request form has been processed, you will receive an email from ECSI to your SMU email address that your form is available to be viewed and printed from the ECSI 1098-T website. If your USA Citizenship status has changed, please provide the appropriate documentation to the SMU Registrar Office to have the status updated.
Southern Methodist University, in conjunction with Heartland ECSI, is offering you the opportunity to receive your 1098-T Tuition Statement electronically each year. If you are eligible* for a 1098-T for the calendar year and would like to receive your 1098-T form electronically, please give your consent by following the link provided below and following the step by step instructions. Complete and submit the consent form on or before December 31. 1098-T forms are processed in January. If your US Citizenship status is coded in my.SMU as non-resident, the 1098-T form will not be provided as the Internal Revenue Service does not require the school to provide one.
If you choose to receive a paper copy of your 1098-T statement, simply do nothing.
However, the benefits to receiving electronic notification are:
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Online delivery provides access to the form 1098-T earlier than the traditional mailing process.
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Online delivery eliminates the chance that the 1098-T will get lost, misdirected or delayed during delivery, or misplaced once the student receives it.
- Signing up for online delivery is easy and secure.
- Students can receive their 1098-T form even while traveling or on assignment away from their home address.
To give consent to receive your 1098-T form electronically, click on the link below and follow the simple instructions to sign up!
- Follow the step-by-step instructions on the web form.
- Check the box and click submit.
It's that easy!
If you have any questions, please visit: http://www.ecsi.net/taxinfo.html for information regarding your tax documents and to obtain contact information for ECSI.
If you have any problems or questions contact ECSI at 1-866-428-1098.
In 2017 tax year and back, your 1098-T included a figure in Box 2 that represented the qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) we billed to your student account for the calendar (tax) year. Due to a change to institutional reporting requirements under federal law, beginning with tax year 2018, we started reporting in Box 1 the amount of QTRE payments posting during the calendar (tax) year.
Beginning in 2019, we started reporting Box 4 again. Box 4 is adjustments to 2018 payments and/or refunds of qualified tuition and related expenses made in 2019 that relate to payments received that were reported for any prior year after 2002.
Depending on your income (or your family’s income, if you are a dependent), whether you were considered full or half-time enrolled, and the amount of your qualified educational expenses for the year, you may be eligible for a federal education tax credit. (You can find detailed information about claiming education tax credits in IRS Publication 970, page 9.)
The dollar amounts reported on your Form 1098-T may assist you in completing IRS Form 8863 – the form used for calculating the education tax credits that a taxpayer may claim as part of your tax return.
Southern Methodist University is unable to provide you with individual tax advice, but should you have questions, you should seek the counsel of an informed tax preparer or adviser.
Below is a blank sample of the 2019 Form 1098-T, that you will receive in January 2020, for your general reference. For more information about Form 1098-T, visit https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1098et_19.pdf.
Any anticipated financial aid for January and Spring terms will not be reflected on the student account until January 2nd, 2020.