U.S. tax information

Must be valid at time of filing.

Please use your most current I-20 or DS-2019.

These are not needed if you had no income for the 2023 tax year and the Form 8843 is the only form you have to file.

This form reports your wage earnings if you worked. If you had more than one employer you should get a W-2 from each employer. It is issued by the end of January for the previous year. Make sure all employers from last year have an up-to-date address for you. If you were employed by ASU (not including Aramark or ASU Follett Bookstore) for any part of the 2023 tax year, you should receive a W-2 from ASU Human Resources. Your W-2 is also posted on My ASU. Please contact ASU Human Resources if you did not receive a W-2.  

If you were employed by another company or an outside vendor such as Aramark or ASU Follett Bookstore, please speak to your human resources representative for your W-2. 

This form is used to report:

1. Stipend, scholarship, fellowship income and travel grants (not tuition reduction or exemption).

2. Income covered by a tax treaty.

3. Payment for other types of services (e.g., by the semester as a note-taker).

If you received this type of income, the 1042-S will be mailed to you by March 15 by the issuer.  

You may receive a 1042-S from ASU Tax Services if you received tax treaty benefits from ASU during the tax year or you had other taxable money that was not paid through payroll. These forms are posted to your Glacier account, or sent in the mail if you did not agree to receiving electronically. Please contact International Employee Management if you did not receive a 1042-S.

Note: Only nonresidents receive this form. If your tax status changes to a resident, you will not get a 1042-S.

In addition to passport stamps, you can review or print your U.S.travel history here.

This form reports miscellaneous income. This can be interest on bank accounts, stocks, bonds, dividends or earnings through freelance employment. If you received this type of income, the 1099 will be mailed to you by the issuer.

If you receive this form, it is not needed and cannot be used for a nonresident tax return because NRAs are not eligible to claim education expense tax credits. Please keep this form for your records

In general, F-1 students who have been in the U.S. for fewer than six years are exempt from Social Security (FICA) and Medicare taxes as long as you continue to declare nonresident status for tax purposes (see Internal Revenue Service Publication 519, US Tax Guide for Aliens). You should bring this to the attention of your employer because many employers are not familiar with this provision of the tax laws.

Unless you qualify under a tax treaty between the U.S. and your home government, your earnings as an F-1 student will be subject to applicable federal, state and local taxes, and employers are required by law to withhold those taxes from your paychecks. By April 15 of each year, you must file a federal income tax return and a Form 8843, Statement for Exempt Individuals, covering the prior calendar year whether you owe more taxes or not.

All individuals in F-1 and J-1 status who have been authorized to work in the U.S. should have a Social Security number (SSN) issued by the Social Security Administration. Students in F-1 and J-1 status (and their dependents in F-2 or J-2 status) who do not have a SSN, and received a payment in the form of a cash award, may have applied for and been assigned an Individual Tax Identification number (ITIN).

An Individual Tax Identification number (ITIN) is available for foreign individuals who are unable to apply for a Social Security number, and who will need to file a U.S. tax return to report income received in the U.S. In general, ASU students who have taxable awards and/or scholarships, and are not eligible for SSNs, will be required to secure an ITIN. More information about ITINs can be found on the IRS website, and ASU can assist in reviewing and certifying the required documents of the application. An ITIN is not required if an SSN is already issued, or if the person will not have any taxable income reportable in the U.S. ASU issuing a Form 1098-T to an ASU student does not automatically indicate that the student will have taxable income. For more information about what would indicate taxable income related to scholarships, please review the IRS guidance.  

No. Generally, Medicare and Social Security taxes should not be withheld from your paycheck if you are an F-1 (five calendar years exemption) or J-1 (two calendar years exemption) student or scholar. However, if you exceed substantial presence or the exempt years allowed under your visa status, you may be subject to Medicare and Social Security tax withholding. Please see additional information at FIN 601. Students who graduate and elect to continue their visa with practical training may still be exempt for a period of time of their employment. You can review the rules about visa exemptions during practical training here. You would need to work with your employer if you feel you are eligible for this exemption and are not receiving it.

Sprintax will ask questions to determine your resident status for the tax purposes.

If you are a nonresident for tax purposes, you can use Sprintax. If you are a resident for tax purposes, you cannot use Sprintax. A person considered a resident for tax purposes will file taxes in the same manner as U.S. citizens. Please see the Substantial Presence Test to determine your tax residency.

If you are nonresident for tax purposes, you cannot deduct the tuition cost on your tax return. You should keep the 1098-T with your tax documents for your records in case you may have tax benefits in your home country. For more information, please visit https://students.asu.edu/form1098t.

A student who is not working only needs to complete Sprintax if a portion of their scholarship or fellowship is nonqualified (taxable). If Sprintax is completed by a student who will not have a taxable scholarship or fellowship, there will be no tax implications. If the scholarship or fellowship was paid by ASU, the taxable amount would be issued on Form 1042-S. Please contact ASU Human Resources if you have questions.

If you owe taxes, make checks payable to the United States Treasury. Make sure that your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification number is on the check and that in the memo section you write “Tax Return.” The IRS also has the ability to accept this payment through ACH, wires, etc. Please review your options here.

On page 3 of IRS Form 8843, there are general instructions. You will mail your tax forms yourself to the address indicated on page 3. Before mailing anything, make copies for your records.

If you have not filed taxes or the 8843 tax exempt form in previous years that you have resided in the U.S., you may want to file these forms retroactively to ensure the IRS receives your information. 

To do so, you will need to contact a tax specialist or receive assistance from the Tempe Community Council VITA Program. https://www.tempecommunitycouncil.org/free-tax-preparation/site-info/ 

For direct contact with VITA, please email vita@tempecc.org or leave a message at 480-858-2323.

If you made a mistake when filing your tax return or your 8843 tax exempt form, you can file an amended return. To do so, you will need to contact a tax specialist or receive assistance from the Tempe Community Council VITA Program. 

For direct contact with VITA, please email vita@tempecc.org or leave a message at 480-858-2323.

You can check the status of your tax refund using  https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp.

Yes. If you have made a profit from cryptocurrency (which you traded from a US exchange or broker) while you were living in the US, you will have to declare this income. The following cryptocurrency transactions are considered taxable:

• Sale of cryptocurrency, mined personally, to a third party.
• Sale of cryptocurrency, purchased from someone else, to a third party.
• Using mined cryptocurrency in order to buy goods or services. 

Nonresidents will pay tax at 30% on their income from cryptocurrency. And unlike residents, nonresidents are not entitled to use losses from previous years to offset their tax liability. For more information, please visit http://blog.sprintax.com/nonresidents-report-cryptocurrency-tax-return/