Grants are usually awarded by federal and state governments and are generally not taxable if used for paying qualified expenses to attend an eligible educational institution while pursuing a degree. Recipients of taxable scholarships, grants, fellowships and tuition waivers during the tax year are required to report the taxable portion on their federal income tax returns. For example, if you have a grant https://turbo-tax.org/ or scholarship that fully covers all of your tuition, fees, and books, then you can’t claim the American Opportunity Credit because you didn’t actually pay for qualifying expenses. If, instead, you claim some of the grant or scholarship as income and don’t use it for your eligible expenses, this then leaves you with some qualified expenses to pay and gives you the ability to claim the tax credit.

• Receive 20% off next year’s tax preparation if we fail to provide any of the 4 benefits included in our “No Surprise Guarantee” (Upfront Transparent Pricing, Transparent Process, Free Audit Assistance, and Free Midyear Tax Check-In).
• If your award covers both tuition and room & board, the amount you use for tuition is tax-free, while the amount you use for room & board is taxable.
• Athletic and certain other scholarships that require effort from the participant, such as those that require students to be in musical ensembles, have historically not been included in gross income because of Rev. Rul.
• Amounts used for incidental expenses, such as room and board, travel, and optional equipment.
• Those expenses are generally considered qualified expenses.

Using the American Opportunity Tax Credit , you can get a tax credit worth up to $2,500 for money spent on qualified education expenses. The credit is refundable, so if the credit reduces your tax bill to zero, you can get 40% of the remaining amount back as part of your tax refund.

How Taxes on Scholarships Work

That’s because scholarship or fellowship money that represents compensation is generally taxable. The student would receive a W-2 from the school and would have to file a tax return. The first qualifying rule for a tax-free scholarship involves where you’ll be attending school. You must use the money to go to what the IRS refers to as an “eligible educational institution.”

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What About Grants?

Terms and conditions apply, and are subject to change. When spring comes, you will need to submit a nonresident tax return by April 15 in order to receive a refund of tax withheld from the Internal Revenue Service .

• All prizes of this nature paid to non-resident alien students must be reported on a Form 1042-S by the University of Washington; amounts not used for tuition, books and fees must be withheld at 14%.
• The American Opportunity Credit allows students or their parents an opportunity to reduce the cost of attending college through claiming qualifying education expenses as a tax credit on their federal income taxes.
• Supporting Identification Documents must be original or copies certified by the issuing agency.
• For example, if you use your scholarship funds for optional reading assignments that don’t go toward satisfying course requirements and aren’t required of every student, they would be subject to taxation.
• State e-File for business returns only available in CA, CT, MI, NY, VA, WI.

When you go to college, the total cost of attendance is far more than the school’s tuition and fees. You also may have to pay for room and board, travel or other supplies like a new computer. If you receive a scholarship or grant for a certificate program or are taking courses that won’t lead to a degree, the entire scholarship amount is taxable. Finally, you and your family may also want to explore putting funds into your state’s 529 college savings plan. Setting this up may require a professional financial adviser, but 529 funds also avoid some of the tax penalties that can affect scholarships. Federal COVID-19 relief has come in a few different forms; the most relevant for students are emergency grants via the CARES Act, and direct stimulus payments. These IRS rules apply to scholarships , fellowships, and grants—including government-sponsored, need-based Pell Grants.

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Be sure to visit our Tax Guide for College Students and find out about student forms that can be filed for free. All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market conditions. Data contained herein from third-party providers is obtained from what are considered reliable sources.

Sec. 117 excludes from gross income scholarship proceeds used to pay qualified tuition and related expenses at qualified educational institutions received by students who are candidates for degrees at those institutions. Should I Claim Scholarships & Other Awards On My Taxes? ASU is required by US tax law to withhold 14% federal income tax from fellowship payments to individuals who are nonresidents for US tax purposes, unless the recipient can claim an exemption by US tax treaty.