Tax Preparation Resources for International Students and Scholars at Regional Campuses
DISCLAIMER: International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)
and the University of Connecticut are NOT permitted to assist any student with any IRS tax form preparation or tax related questions. The information below is intended for your benefit. Any questions or concerns
should be directed to a certified tax preparer or a local Connecticut IRS field office.
If you respond to this email with your tax return questions, ISSS may not respond to those inquiries for this reason.
UConn international students and scholars who have gross income and who study at regional campuses (including Avery Point, Graduate Business Learning Center, Greater Hartford, School of Law, Stamford, Torrington, Waterbury) have several
options for filing taxes:
1) Attend a UConn Tax Preparation Session at Storrs campus
If you have transportation to Storrs campus, then you can register to attend a Tax Preparation Session to have a VITA volunteer prepare your tax forms. Please see the email announcement that went out on International –L listserv with subject
“VITA tax preparation sessions announcement” for further details on who qualifies to register for a tax preparation session. Please be advised that if you attend a UConn Tax Preparation Session you will need to return to Storrs about one week after your
session appointment to pick up your tax return documents. Your forms will not be finalized at the time of the appointment. Your returns must be picked up by you, in-person.
2) Glacier Tax Prep
There are limited tax preparation software products available that can process nonresident alien tax returns for international students and scholars. While we cannot recommend specific tax software for student use, the dominant tax preparation
software used by international students is Glacier Tax Prep. Access to Glacier Tax Prep can be purchased to prepare
Nonresident Alien tax forms, including the 1040 NR, 1040NR-EZ, 8843 and W-7. Students must purchase an individual license to use the system (currently 34 USD but subject to change). The Glacier Tax Prep system will also help you determine based on information
you give, whether your tax classification is Nonresident Alien or Resident Alien. You still must print your tax forms and submit them through mail upon completion. Glacier Tax Prep ONLY prepares Federal Tax Returns and forms, not state tax returns.
3) Other resources
If you are classified for tax purposes as Resident Alien you may utilize a myriad of other resources, like online software programs and professional preparers. See
http://www.irs.gov/Filing for further information. It is not advised that Nonresident Aliens try to utilize these resources.
IRS Form 8843 Only
Students with no gross income who are classified as Nonresident Aliens for the tax year must ONLY file the Form 8843. This form is required to claim exemption from counting days of presence toward becoming a Resident for tax purposes. Generally
this form can be completed without the assistance of a professional or software program. ISSS cannot answer questions on how to complete the Form 8843. Instructions on where to mail the Form 8843 can be found on page 3 of the form. For further information
please see:
http://global.uconn.edu/tax-resources-for-international-students-and-scholars/ and
www.irs.gov .
Determining your Alien Tax Status (i.e. how you are taxed as a foreign national in the U.S.):
To determine if you are a nonresident alien or a resident alien for tax purposes, please refer to the IRS website information on “Determining Alien Tax Status”
http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Determining-Alien-Tax-Status and the “Substantial Presence Test”
http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Substantial-Presence-Test . Remember that your nonimmigrant visa classification does not necessarily equal nonresident classification for tax purposes.
ISSS cannot assist you to determine your alien tax status.
State Taxes
If you have gross income, you may also be required to file a Connecticut state tax return. File the federal return
FIRST. For information on Connecticut State tax filing, see the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services:
http://www.ct.gov/drs/site/default.asp . If you have income for the tax year coming from states other than Connecticut, you must research the tax policies/procedures for the state from which you received
taxable income.
ITIN
International students at regional campuses who have taxable income but do not qualify for a Social Security Number, or who are qualified to claim their dependents on their tax returns, and the dependents don’t qualify for a Social Security
Number, need to file a request for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number , Form W-7,
concurrently with filing their tax return. ISSS will need to work with you in this process to verify for the IRS certain immigration documents related to your F-1/J-1 or dependents’ F-2/J-2 status. Please see our webpage on the ITIN for further details:
http://global.uconn.edu/individual-taxpayer-identification-number-itin-information/
Contacting the IRS
Remember the best source of information on tax filing comes directly from the source- see
www.irs.gov for further information on all tax matters, or contact a local IRS field office with your questions.
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-Your-Local-IRS-Office-1 .
Rae Barter
International Advisor
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)
Office of Global Affairs
University of Connecticut
2011 Hillside Road Unit 1083
Storrs, CT 06269
U.S.A.
phone-(860) 486-3855
fax-(860)486-5800
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*Our fall 2013 office hours are 8:30 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm, Mon-Fri
*To schedule an appointment with an ISSS advisor please visit www.advapp.uconn.edu (Storrs campus) or www.icworkshops.uconn.edu (Regional campus)