International Student Taxes - Financial Wellness Center

Schedule an appointment or self file

There are resources here at the University of Utah to support you in filing your taxes:

Schedule an appointment

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International Student Scholar Services (ISSS) Tax Information

Know your residency status for tax purposes

You must complete a substantial presence test

You will be considered a U.S. resident for tax purposes if you meet the IRS substantial presence test for the calendar year. To meet this test, you must be physically present in the U.S. on at least:

31 days during the current year, and

183 days during the 3 year period that includes the current year and the 2 years immediately before that, counting: ALL the days you were present in the current year, and 1/3 of the days you were present in the first year before the current year, and 1/6 of the dates you were present in the second year before the current tax year

Typically after 5 calendar years in the U.S., you will be considered resident for tax filing purposes

Gather income documents

Income Documents

1042-S or W2 (Income from employer)
1099-DIV (Income from dividends)
1099-B (Income from investments)

What to bring to your appointment

Picture I.D.

Social Security Card

Passport and Visa Number, 194

Previous tax return documentation

Bank routing number and account number

Frequently Asked Questions

If you made income: No matter how much income you made, you will need to file taxes and report your income on IRS Form 1040-NR
If you didn’t make income: You will only have to file IRS Form 8843

You must complete a substantial presence test
Typically after 5 calendar years in the U.S. you will be considered resident for tax filing purposes

Students from countries that have a tax treaty with the U.S. that includes a wage article may claim exemption or a reduction of income withholding if the payment meets the requirements of the treaty.

Tax Treaty Information

There are many different factors that can affect how much a student gets back in their refund. The amount of income earned, the amount of taxes that were withheld (prepaid) and the tax treaty of the country of the student are the main ones. If you would like to learn more about the taxes that you paid, please book an appointment with a financial counselor at the Financial Wellness Center and we can go over and explain your tax return with you.

Create a plan for your refund in alignment with your financial goals! You can save it, spend it, or invest it! Book an appointment and we can help you make aligned decisions!