Tax Obligations
Understanding your U.S. Income Tax Requirement
As an International Student, you will have a tax filing requirement that will be part of maintaining a valid visa status. Whether you receive income or not from Williams College, your Tax Residency Status must be correct. Williams College offers a free tax software system Sprintax to assist you with this required process.
International students, faculty, and staff are legally required to file a tax return for every year they are in the United States. Sprintax Calculus System helps students and scholars ensure the necessary paperwork is on file so that the correct amount of tax can be calculated on all taxable income they receive from the college (including scholarship income) and the correct amount of income is reported to the American tax authorities (IRS).
Why should you file a tax return?
Everyone living in the US, including F-1 and J-1 students, must file income tax forms whether they earn money in the US or not.
- The most important reason to file a return is that it is a legal requirement in the US. Failure to file may impact the status of your current visa and make future US visa applications difficult.
- Avoid penalties. If you miss the tax filing deadline, you may face late filing penalties. Filing prior to this date prevents this. The earlier you file, the better.
- You may be owed a tax refund! Many international students filing a tax return are due a tax refund for overpaid tax. It’s worth checking if you are due a refund.
There are two types of tax returns:
- State tax return: Massachusetts nonresidents have to file an MA state tax return only if their Massachusetts source income was more than $8,000 in the last calendar year.
- Federal tax return: If you did not work or receive any income in the US, you must file Form 8843. If you worked or received a stipend, grant, or allowance in the US, you may need to file Form 1040NR.
You must file federal and most state taxes by the mid-April deadline. If you request an extension to file your tax return and owe money but do not pay by the April deadline, you will be charged monthly interest on the initial amount you owe.
How to file a tax return?
Check out this quick Sprintax guide!
For questions about your tax documents from Williams, email Amy Russell, Payroll Systems Manager at [email protected] and Zack Szpila, Payroll Coordinator at [email protected].
- 24/7 Live Chat Help with Sprintax representatives: Click here or log in to your Sprintax account.
- Sprintax YouTube channel
- Sprintax blog: https://blog.sprintax.com/
ISS is not able to provide tax advice as we are not tax professionals. If you have any questions related to your individual case, the Sprintax team will be happy to help via their 24/7 Live Chat facility.