An e-mail notice was sent on January 12, 2015 to all UCI students for whom IRS Form 1098-T (Tuition Statement) will be issued for tax year 2014. The subject line was "YOUR 1098-T FOR 2014 WILL BE ISSUED SOON; HOW TO ACCESS YOUR TAX FORM FROM UCI"
A copy of the notice is posted below. Please read the information to be sure that you understand how UCI's 1098-T reporting process has changed. A reply or acknowledgement from you is not necessary, nor requested.
PURPOSE:
Within the next few business days, the University of California, Irvine (UCI) will issue more than 50,000 Tuition Statements (IRS Form 1098-T) for tax year2014. This message provides an overview of the 1098-T issuing process and describes methods for retrieving your tax form, when it is ready.
UCI prepares 1098-Ts electronically and forms are accessible online. You are responsible for downloading your 1098-T, and for supplying the form to anyone who claims you as a dependent. UCI does not distribute paper forms by postal mail, nor send 1098-Ts as e-mail attachments.
Each 1098-T is a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. You must have Adobe Reader http://get.adobe.com/reader/ (or similar software) installed to view your form. Use your browser's PDF plug-in controls to re-size, page through, print, or save the 1098-T on your computer, as needed.
1098-T VENDOR AND E-MAIL NOTIFICATION
The University of California (UC) has a contract with the Tax Credit Reporting Service (TCRS), a division of Xerox Corporation. In its capacity as UC's official 1098-T vendor, TCRS stores student tax data, posts forms at the 1098t.com web site, and transmits reports to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
TCRS uses personally identifying information provided by the university to create your account at http://www.1098t.com/ . TCRS already has your name, SSN/ITIN, student ID number, and UCI e-mail address on file, so the system is not "phishing" or "scamming" to obtain the information.
When your 1098-T is posted to the web site, the TCRS system automatically sends an e-mail message from tcrs@xerox.com to your UCI e-mail address (or a valid alternate you have entered at the 1098t.com web site). The subject line is "From: UC Irvine & the Tax Credit Reporting Service (TCRS)."
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has previewed the 2014 TCRS e-mail message, so it will not be flagged as spam by UCI's servers. If you want to receive the message, then you also may need to configure the spam filter for your e-mail software to allow messages from tcrs@xerox.com.
The TCRS e-mail message merely is a COURTESY NOTIFICATION. The message body does not contain any personalized content, only generic instructions for navigating the 1098t.com web site. You may access your tax form online, whether or not you receive the TCRS e-mail message.
ZOT!PORTAL METHOD FOR RETRIEVING YOUR 1098-T
During Fall 2014, UCI implemented a 1098-T feature in ZOT!PORTAL. The new app provides a secure interface to TCRS, so you can retrieve 1098-Ts while logged into the campus network. You are not required to visit 1098t.com, or to set up a separate password for that site, before using the portal app.
You must have an active UCINetID and password to login at https://portal.uci.edu/ . For information on managing your UCINetID, see OIT's web page at http://www.oit.uci.edu/ucinetid/ . Third-party/parent access is not available; as the student, you must login to the portal to view the content.
The 1098-T app is located on the Student > Finances tab; however, you may move and customize the module as desired. The app layout consists of 3 tabs. Toggle among the tabs by clicking the Main, About, and Help headers. Use the Main tab to look up available 1098-T forms for your account.
The drop-down menu box (next to "Tax Year") allows you to access 1098-Ts from the 3 most recent tax years. The default selection currently is 2014, with 2013 and 2012 as alternatives. UCI may not have issued a form to you for every year in the menu.
Choose the tax year and press Search. If a 1098-T exists for that tax year, then a personalized link with the words "Tax Form" will be displayed. Click on the link to access the 1098-T in a new browser tab. If a 1098-T is not available, then a descriptive error message will be displayed.
To safeguard your private information, avoid using public work stations to download or print your form. Be sure to logout of the portal and close the browserto prevent unauthorized access to your records. For more tips on protecting your data, visit http://www.security.uci.edu/ .
1098T.COM METHOD FOR RETRIEVING YOUR 1098-T
The TCRS web site at http://www.1098t.com/ provides an alternative to the ZOT!PORTAL method for retrieving 1098-Ts. A separate login and password are required to access this site directly. You may elect to visit 1098t.com when any of the following situations apply:
The web page at https://www.1098t.com/info/instructions/instructions_ayr.asp provides instructions for accessing 1098t.com directly. UCI does not assign or manage passwords for TCRS, nor troubleshoot issues with using this off-campus system.
IMPORTANT: TCRS' instructions indicate that you may login with your "registration ID," which is your UCI student ID number. The TCRS e-mail message also states that you may "access your individual 1098-T information using your student ID or Social Security Number."
You are NOT REQUIRED TO ENTER YOUR SSN/ITIN at 1098t.com to access your TCRS records. It's up to you to decide what you are comfortable doing. You may elect to login with your SSN/ITIN if you wish to confirm that TCRS has the correct number on file.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Campus Billing Services is the office of record for 1098-T reporting, and the originator of this message. Questions about 1098-T reporting requirements should be directed to tra@uci.edu, or Campus Billing at 101 Aldrich Hall, (949) 824-2455 (M-F 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM).
OIT is responsible for the security of UCI's systems and ZOT!PORTAL administration. Concerns about "phishing," problems with UCINetIDs/passwords, or questions about portal functions should be directed to the Help Desk at oit@uci.edu or (949) 824-2222.
TCRS provides call center support during regular business hours. Call toll-free (877) 467-3821 if you need help with accessing your records, understanding your 1098-T, or learning about the associated tax benefits for education. TCRS escalates issues to the campus when a detailed response is necessary.
This page was last updated 01/12/2015