Dear Students and Scholars,

Please see the message below about tax workshops. If you do not have any scholarship income and if you are from a country with no tax treaty benefits, you should sign up for a tax preparation session next week. Many of the sessions later in March are already full, but there are lots of spaces available next week. Sign up now at www.icworkshops.uconn.edu.

Best,

____________

Arthur Galinat
Assistant Director

International Student & Scholar Services

From: Information for International Visitors: INS, Notices, Activities [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of ISSS – General Mailbox
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 3:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Important Tax Information - Sign Up For a VITA Tax Workshop

Dear Students and Scholars,

Many of you have started to receive forms related to income tax filing in the U.S. Keep all the tax forms you receive! Each year from February 1 to April 15 international students and U.S. citizens need to file tax paperwork with the IRS and these forms will help you.

STUDENTS/SCHOLARS WITH NO INCOME

Students and scholars with no income will still need to file the tax form 8843 to report on days of presence in F-1/J-1 status in prior calendar year. You can download the 8843 online here and should submit this by mail to the IRS.

STUDENTS/SCHOLARS WITH INCOME

Students and scholars with income may receive forms for employment income, taxable scholarship income, or miscellaneous income. These may be forms W-2, 1042-S or 1099 and you will need these forms when filing your taxes. There are two options for assistance in filing your income taxes.

Option One: Attend a UConn VITA Tax Assistance Workshop! See below for more information. These workshops are free, but ONLY available to current UConn students and you must sign up online. International alumni and students on post-completion OPT may not attend. Sign up online: www.icworkshops.uconn.edu Appointments start next week for students with NO Tax Treaty benefits and NO scholarship income – sign up now!!

Option Two: If you cannot attend UConn VITA Tax Assistance workshop or if you are not eligible (alumni and post-completion OPT students) there are only a limited number of companies that can process nonresident alien tax paperwork for you to mail to the IRS. Please visit: http://isss.uconn.edu/tax-preparation-resources/ for more information on nonresident alien tax preparation software.

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VITA Tax Workshops

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) program at the University of Connecticut provides free personalized nonresident tax counseling and preparation for F-1 and J-1 visa holders.

International Student & Scholar Services, Payroll, Tax and Compliance and the School of Business – Accounting Department will sponsor free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) for UConn international students holding an F-1 non-immigrant visa.

The student volunteers are trained to prepare simple Federal and Connecticut state income tax returns. Tax returns will be prepared only if you have gross income.

Do not register for this tax assistance session if:

You only need to file form 8843
You only have tax questions
You prepared your own return or someone else prepared your return and you are seeking to have it reviewed.

Sign-up is required! Please register at: https://web2.uconn.edu/icworkshops/training/index.php?courses

Once your booking is complete, you will receive an automatic confirmation to your UConn email address. You must book your appointment at least one week in advance. Failure to appear at the designated time will result in a cancelation of your appointment. If you fail to attend, we may not be able to reschedule. All appointments must be booked at least one week in advance.

To receive confidential assistance from a VITA volunteer, you must bring all of the following that apply to you:

1. Income Information: W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) and/or

2. 1042- S (Foreign Persons U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding) and/or

3. 1098T (Tuition Statement) Print copy at: http://bursar.uconn.edu/1098-t/ (NOTE: Many GAs, fellows and scholarship recipients will not receive Form 1098-T for the 2015 tax year. Please see more information at: http://bursar.uconn.edu/1098-t/1098-t-faq/

4. 1099-MISC (if applicable)

5. Copies of online fee bills from UConn for 2015 (Spring, Fall and/or Summer Semester, as applicable)

6. Non-Resident Alien Intake form-Print and complete: http://isss.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2016/02/VITA-Information-form-2015.pdf (Failure to bring and complete this form prior to your session will result in a cancelation of your appointment.)

7. Original Social Security Card or ITIN document

8. Original Passport

9. I-94 Print Out (or white I-94 card in passport) https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94