Filing Taxes

Yes, all students with F-1 and J-1 visas who arrived in the U.S. before January 1st must complete at least one tax form (Form 8843). This includes those who have not worked or earned any money in the United States. You can find instructions for completing the form 8843 here. Tax compliance is part of your immigration compliance and not filing could impact your future immigration status. Many international students earn money from on-campus jobs, and some international students also receive grants or scholarships from Mount Holyoke to cover some of their expenses at the College. The College is required by law to withhold taxes from your paycheck and, in addition, must tax that portion of your MHC grant or scholarship which exceeds the cost of tuition, fees, books and course supplies (i.e., room & board). These two sources of income are taxable. Some of you will receive bills from Student Financial Services (SFS) for the amount of the tax on your grant or scholarship. However, the good news is that, after you file your tax return in the spring, you may be able to get back some portion of the money that has been withheld. The money you receive (your "tax refund") will allow you to pay the bill sent to you by SFS.

 For students who have worked on campus or for an employer off campus (while on CPT or OPT), you will be issued a W-2 Form. The W-2 is a summary of all of the earnings you had from that employer, how much you paid toward federal, state, local, medicare, social security tax for the previous year. Employers are required to provide you with your W-2 form before the end of January each year. W-2 forms from MHC are available in MyMountHolyoke if you have consented to receive the form electronically. If you have worked on campus and have not received the form by the end of January, please contact the Payroll Office. 

For those international students who do not work or whose only source of income is from a grant/scholarship (shown on tax form 1042S), the filing deadline is June 15.  However, we nevertheless recommend that you mail your tax return by April 15.

• Wages from on-campus jobs or off-campus internships (if approved for CPT or OPT)
• Internship or research stipends
• Dividends from U.S. companies
• U.S.-based financial aid/scholarships that exceed the cost of tuition, fees, books and course supplies.

• F-1 and J-1 visa holders who have U.S.-source taxable income must file a tax return. Although a tax treaty may exempt you from paying taxes, you are still required to file an income tax return if you have U.S.-based taxable income. Financial Services will prepare one or more of the following forms for you in January: W-2, 1042S, or 1099.

  You will have to authorize MHC to post your W-2 form online (you will receive an email from Financial Services explaining how to do this).  As soon as this authorization has gone through, your W-2 form will be available in MyMountHolyoke under "MyMountHolyoke for Employees."  If you are issued a 1042S (not all students will be), you will receive an email from Financial Services on how to access this online. 

  You will need these forms to complete your tax return. The statements will list your income and any tax paid during the previous calendar year. Bank statements may be used to document any interest earned from your bank accounts during the previous calendar year. You will also need a Social Security number or an ITIN. For those with taxable U.S. income, the deadline for filing a tax return is April 15.

Yes. If you are studying abroad, you still need to file a federal income tax return (and perhaps a state tax return as well, if you had a paid internship during the previous summer). Please see above for information about state tax returns. Pay close attention to the email you will receive in February, since it will explain how you will be able to use the online Sprintax Program as well. 

The McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives provides access to the Sprintax Program so that all current students will be able to complete their federal tax return online at their leisure at no charge. All international students will receive an email in February with more specific details. The federal tax return you will be filing will be the 1040NR which is for people who earned income in the U.S. but who are considered non-residents of the U.S. for tax purposes. Some students will be able to efile their taxes with Sprintax. 

If you discover that you made a mistake after mailing your tax return to the IRS, you will have to file an amended or corrected tax return. You must fill out Form 1040X entitled Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. In addition, you will need to fill out a new 1040NR-EZ (see above for instructions). Attach a copy of the W-2 Form (and a copy of the 1042S Form, if you received one) to the newly filled out 1040NR-EZ Form you've just completed. Mail everything, including a copy of the *incorrectly filed tax form* to the IRS Service Center. The mailing address can be found in Form 1040X Instructions.

As soon as you secure a paid summer internship, you must be sure to communicate to your employer that you are a non-immigrant student. Non-immigrant students are not supposed to have social security or Medicare taxes taken out of their paychecks. Please consult Taxes and Paid Internships and show the text to your employer before you begin work. If you had a paid summer internship, you should also receive a W-2 form (or, depending on the type of work you did, a 1042S form) from your employer. You will need this form to file your taxes! If you don't receive a W-2 form (or a 1042S form) from your summer employer, please contact the organization or company as soon as possible.