IRS Form 8525, Federal Scholarship Tax Credit: The Donor Claim Form (Not Yet Released)

Treasury’s proposed §25F regulations, filed for public inspection on October 1, 2026, name the donor claim form for the first time. Proposed § 1.25F-2(g)(1) reads:

“A taxpayer who claims the section 25F credit on the taxpayer’s Federal income tax return must substantiate the credit on Form 8525, Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (or successor form), by reporting such information as may be required in the form and instructions, including, for each SGO to which the taxpayer has made a qualified contribution during the taxable year, the unique donor number that the SGO was required to provide as part of a timely written acknowledgement.”

What the proposed rules say about the form so far:

• Donors complete Form 8525 and attach it to Form 1040.
• For each SGO, the donor reports the unique donor number from the SGO’s written acknowledgment, which the SGO must send by January 31 of the year after the gift. See how the donor number works.
• A donor who leaves off a required donor number “will be presumed not to have made a qualified contribution to that SGO.” The donor can rebut that with the SGO’s acknowledgment or other evidence the IRS finds satisfactory, within the time the IRS sets in a written request.
• The instructions for Form 8525 will also tell donors how to designate a gift as a qualified contribution to the SGO at the time of giving.

The IRS has not released Form 8525 or its instructions. The first returns that can claim the credit are for tax year 2027, filed in early 2028. Until then, keep the SGO’s written acknowledgment for every §25F gift; it carries the donor number the form will ask for.

The only §25F form released so far is Form 15714, which states (not donors) use to make their advance election to participate. Check the IRS Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) page for the latest official forms and guidance.