Who sends it
Any lender that receives $600 or more of student loan interest from you in a year, including a government agency, must file Form 1098-E and send you a copy. For federal loans, that is your loan servicer. The $600 counts all your loans with that lender together.
What it shows
Box 1 is the student loan interest you paid that year. That is the number you start from for the deduction, before the $2,500 cap and the income phase-out.
More than one 1098-E
If your loans moved between servicers during the year, or you have federal and private loans, you can get several forms. Add the Box 1 amounts together.
No 1098-E?
If you paid less than $600, the lender doesn’t have to send one. You can still deduct the interest you paid; use your account statement. IRS Publication 970 walks through exactly this case.
Loans from before Sept. 1, 2004
On these, the form may list only regular interest and leave out capitalized interest and origination fees. Publication 970 says you can deduct qualifying interest even when it isn’t on the form.
When it arrives
For 2025, lenders had to send the form by Feb. 2, 2026, because Jan. 31 fell on a Saturday. By the same rule, expect the 2026 form around the end of January 2027.
Not financial or legal advice. This page explains the published rules. It does not tell you which plan to choose. Your loan servicer and StudentAid.gov have the final word on your account.
Official sources
- IRS Instructions for Forms 1098-E and 1098-T
- IRS Publication 970 (2025), Tax Benefits for Education, chapter 4
- IRS Topic No. 456, Student loan interest deduction (updated Sept. 24, 2026)
Last verified Oct 17, 2026. Corrections are logged on What changed.
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