Tax Help for International Students
by Mike Beck
The International Student Office (ISSO) in conjunction with International House is sponsoring a series of information sessions concerning tax filing for foreigners. The sessions are conducted by two tax consultants from major NY area firms and take the form of a general lecture followed by a period of Q & A. I attended the first of three such meetings and learned the following:
- All foreign students on an F-1 visa are *required* to file a federal
tax return and may also have to file NY state/local returns. This also
applies to students claiming tax treaty benefits and those without any
income in 1995.
- In most cases, foreign students are considered non-residents of the US and have to use the 1040NR or the 1040NR-EZ federal forms.
- Non-residents *cannot* take the standard deduction but may itemize
state and local taxes as well as charitable contributions.
- Only the tuition part (and some expenses such as text books) of your scholarship is tax exempt. Income used for personal expenses (such as rent) is taxed unless you have a tax treaty that says it isn't.
- Foreign students should *not* be paying Social Security tax and should request a refund from their employer if they had SS taxes withheld. You cannot get a SS tax refund by filing a tax return.
If any of this sounds like Greek to you, make sure to attend one of the
remaining sessions before returns are due on April 15! At the meetings
you will find all the forms and instruction pamphlets you need to fill out your returns. Who knows, you may even get a refund from the IRS...
Location: International House, 500 Riverside Drive at 123th Street.
Dates: 3/24 and 4/6
Time: 4-6pm.
PS: I am not a tax expert, so please don't treat the above information as tax advice. Instead, GO TO THE MEETING!!
Return to the Virtual Vector Cover Page
