1098T Tax Form Information

Obtaining 1098-T Tax Forms

For Domestic Students

  • 1098–T tax forms for the previous year are provided to domestic students by January 31.
  • Tax forms are available online through your Self-Service account.

Who Is an Eligible Student?

To claim the American opportunity credit, the student for whom you pay qualified education expenses must be eligible. This is a student who meets all of the following requirements:

  • The student didn’t have expenses that were used to figure an American opportunity credit in any 4 earlier tax years.
  • The student hadn’t completed the first 4 years of post-secondary education (generally, the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years of college) before 2025.
  • For at least one academic period beginning in 2025 (or the first 3 months of 2026 if the qualified expenses were paid in 2025), the student was enrolled at least half-time in a program leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential.
  • The student hasn’t been convicted of any federal or state felony for possessing or distributing a controlled substance as of the end of 2025.

This information can be found on page 17 of Publication 970, Tax Benefits Education at the IRS website.

For International Students

The University will mail 1098-T tax forms to International Students who have a Social Security Number or ITIN number on file with the University. However, if an International student has not provided the University with this information, he or she must request a form, if needed. If you do not have a Social Security Number or ITIN number and do not plan to file US tax forms, there is no need for you to obtain Form 1098-T.

Documentation required for the processing of forms for International Students is as follows:

  • Proof of current address
  • Your Social Security Number or ITIN Number

Please submit all required documents either:

  • In person to the Office of Enrollment Services at your appropriate campus.
  • BY EMAILING esteafdu@fdu.edu
  • By mailing a copy of your Social Security Number or ITIN Number to your campus Enrollment Services office.

NOTE: Please allow 14 days to process 1098-T tax forms for International Students. This may vary depending on the number of requests received. Students will automatically be notified once forms are available.

For more information on IRS Tax Form 1098-T, please visit Heartland ECSI tax Documents and click on the box that says ‘Click here to Learn About Your 1098-T Tax Document’ or call Heartland ECSI at 1-866-428-1098.

Accessing Your 1098-T Form

If students do not have access to their Self-Service account, then they can retrieve their forms from the ECSI after creating an account there and receiving a “Heartland Key” as follows:

  1. Go to https://heartland.ecsi.net.
  2. Select the tile labeled “Learn More About Your 1098 Tax Documents”.
  3. Select “Want to access your 1098-T or 1098-E tax form? Click here to sign in or create a user profile”.
  4. Follow the instructions to “Register and Create a New Profile”.
  5. Fill in the form with the required information and then sign in once your account has been created.
  6. You will be prompted on how to receive a verification code (text, call, or email).
  7. Next, after you are verified, click on the link to “Connect An Account”.
  8. You will need a Heartland Key, and you can search for it by providing the requested information.
  9. With the Heartland Key, you will be able to access your 1098-T tax forms.