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On April 15, 2014, the 2013 tax season will end. Many of you are aware of your tax responsibilities and are busily completing your tax forms. Please remember that if you were present in the United States last year and had an earned income, you will need to complete your tax forms, 1040NR and form 8843. In addition, even if you did not have earned income and are holding F-1, F-2, J-1 or J-2 non-immigrant status, you must complete the form 8843. This form 8843 can be found on the IRS web site, www.irs.gov<http://www.irs.gov>. The reason international students and scholars are filing the form 8843 is to establish the fact that their "days in the US" do not count toward determining whether they are "tax residents" under the "substantial presence test." In effect, although they are physically present in the US, they are not "here" in a tax sense -- at least for the first 5 years. The form essentially tells the IRS that they are here in a physical sense; but not in a tax sense. Please note that your tax responsibilities will be tied to future immigration benefits such as a request for permanent residency. You will have to show proof that you have met your federal tax responsibilities. Many years ago, an international student who had already received his degree, applied for a non-immigrant visa and was requested to provide further evidence. Specifically, the consular officer requested proof that the student had paid all his federal taxes while he studied in the US. Luckily, the student remembered what we told him at orientation, that you should keep copies of all your documents that involve; the State Department, the Department Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service. He returned to the embassy with copies of his tax forms and received his visa. So, please keep copies of all your US government transactions as you will never know when these forms can come in handy. Finally, if you were unable to attend any of the 60 tax preparation workshops, there are several on line tax preparation tools available to non-resident aliens such as: Arctic. Please note that international students and scholars who have resided in the US for less than five years cannot use TURBO-TAX. For more information please visit www.isss.uconn.edu<http://www.isss.uconn.edu> < Social Security and Tax Information >.