Bookmark Bookmarked To MyMICA
International Student Services

International Taxation Resources

All international students, faculty, and staff with F-1 or J-1 immigration statuses are required to complete some sort of non-resident tax forms each year they are in the United States. And since tax compliance requirements always refer to the previous year, even if you have completed your time in the US and returned to your country, you are still required to complete a US tax form for the last year you were in the US.

 

Sprintax Tax Software

On behalf of MICA, the Office of International Education has teamed with the company Sprintax to provide MICA’s F-1 and J-1 international students (including those on OPT and STEM OPT), as well as J-1 international faculty and staff access to software to complete their tax requirements.

You should receive information from the Office of International Education about how to access the Sprintax software. If you have not received information about completing your international taxes by the beginning of February 2024, contact the Office of International Education at internationaleducation@mica.edu.

 

Tax Season

The time to complete your tax forms is from February to mid-April each year. US tax compliance always refers back to the previous year. So, for 2024, the tax season begins in February and ends around mid April and covers the year January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023. The tax filing deadline is April 15, 2024.

 

When Am I No Longer a Nonresident for Tax Purposes?

Please be aware that F-1 and J-1 students are nonresidents for the first 5 years they are in the US in F-1 or J-1 status. J-1 professors or researchers are nonresidents for the first 2 years they are in the US. H-1B and O-1 workers are nonresidents only for the first 183 days they are in the H-1B or O-1 status. If you are in F-1 or J-1 status and have been in the US long enough to become a RESIDENT for tax purposes, you will no longer use the tax forms for nonresidents (IRS form 1040NR, form 8843, etc.). You would then need to complete the tax forms for US residents, such as the IRS form 1040. Also, you would no longer be eligible to use the Sprintax software.

Below are some links from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website to further explain when international students or scholars are nonresidents or residents for tax purposes:

For Students who are exempt individuals

For Teachers and Trainees who are exempt individuals

Tax residency status examples

Sprintax Resources

Sprintax Nonresident Tax Webinars

Sprintax will hold several webinars from February to April 2024. This will all be the same information, just repeated on numerous dates to fit people’s schedules. In this tax webinar, international students, scholars and professionals will be provided information about what they need to know about nonresident taxation for the 2023 tax season. Topics will include who must file, tax residency, FICA, State returns, implications of misfiling as well as how to use Sprintax to prepare a compliant tax return.

Following is a list of upcoming dates for the webinar. To register for any of the sessions, click on the preferred date in the top left corner of this page.

Thursday February 8, 2024 at 1pm ET
Tuesday February 20, 2024 at 12pm ET
Tuesday March 5, 2024 at 4pm ET
Wednesday March 20, 2024 at 2pm ET
Wednesday March 27, 2024 at 1pm ET
Thursday April 4, 2024 at 3pm ET
Wednesday April 10, 2024 at 12pm ET
Monday April 15, 2024 at 1pm ET

Sprintax Resources

Tax Filing Information

Click on the first link for general information on who needs to file, as well as instructions on how to use the Sprintax software provided by the Sprintax School information.
Click on the second link for more detailed information about using the Sprintax software.

Sprintax Resources

Sprintax Website

The Sprintax website provides more information for international students and scholars, including a number of excellent blog posts. They also have a number of videos on their Sprintax YouTube Site.

Sprintax Resources

More Complicated Tax Issues

Please understand that none of the advisors in the Office of International
Education are tax specialists. Therefore, if you feel you have a complicated tax situation and need to talk to a tax professional, please talk to an OIE advisor for a recommendation.