Treat income from employer-provided education assistance as fringe benefits when you report them in Box 1 on a W2 form. Employers enter the value of different fringe benefits in Boxes 1, 3, and 5 on Form W2. Tax-free fringe benefits for employees’ educational expenses reach the limit at $5,250. All parties must generally regard employer-provided education assistance as taxable income if it exceeds $5,250. One exception is if you hire a worker and classify their education as a qualified, working-condition, fringe benefit. Make sure that you and the employee understand the differences and what is expected from you before anyone signs an agreement.
Our W2/1099 Forms Filer software provides a description of the field that you use on a tax form at the top of your selected form. Download our free 1099-etc Demo software to get comfortable using our intuitive interface before reporting any employee income.