Helping Students and Staff Navigate the Tax Maze

by Li-Chang Wong

Tax season started early for most of the students at UW, as over 65,000 Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credit information (1098-T) forms were sent by Student Fiscal Services to all students by the end of January. The IRS changed the reporting format in 2003 requiring the UW to report account activity on all tuition charges, scholarships, fellowships and grants. SFS wanted to help the students understand the new format and the IRS requirement regarding their tax credit information (1098-T), and we also wanted to reach out to help the departmental staff understand how scholarships or fellowships affect the student’s taxes. SFS set up a new Student Tax Information website in January and also offered free tax workshops to students and departments on campus.

The workshops were an excellent way to share tax information with our students and department staff, and are an alternative to sharing information via email or phone. Many Resident and Non Resident Alien students and interested departmental staff have attended the free workshops. We answered questions directly from students or staff. We also received a great deal of positive feedback from students and departments. They told us they like the tax workshops, they like our services, and they hope we can provide more workshops in the future.

Tax issues are a complicated subject since IRS regulations are changing all the time. Better communication and information sharing with both students and department staff are important outreach projects in Student Fiscal Services. We try to provide the best customer service on campus. The tax workshops are one of our most successful projects.