The International Students and Scholars Office has purchased a software package called Sprintax to help you complete your 2023 U.S. nonresident income tax return free of charge.
The purpose of a tax return is to determine if you owe additional tax for 2023 or if you are due a refund from the U.S. government of some of the tax you paid with each paycheck during 2023. Your completed 2023 federal income tax return must be postmarked or filed no later than April 15, 2024. Most, but not all, nonresident returns can be filed electronically using Sprintax. If Spintax cannot process your tax return electronically, it will prepare the required forms and provide instructions for filing a paper return.
Most of you holding F or J immigration status are required to file a tax report of some kind.
- If you earned U.S. source income during 2023, you must file both Form 1040NR and Form 8843.
- If you did not earn any U.S. source income during 2023, you are not required to file a 1040NR form, but you must file Form 8843.
Sprintax will help you complete the right forms for your situation. Those of you with an immigration status other than F or J can use Sprintax to determine which forms you should file.
Sprintax will calculate if you were a resident or a nonresident for U.S. tax purposes in 2023. (Note that the definition of resident for taxes is different than the definition of resident used for immigration and tuition purposes.) If you were a nonresident for 2023, Sprintax will help you prepare the proper forms to electronically file or to print, sign, and mail. If you were a resident for tax purposes in 2023, you can use the same tax forms and software available to U.S. citizens. Please Note: It is not legal for a nonresident to file a resident income tax return.
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All nonresident international students and scholars who were at Iowa State University at some time during 2023 may use Sprintax to prepare their 2023 U.S. nonresident income tax return. You should have received a message with information and an access code for the Sprintax tax preparation software to prepare your federal tax return free of charge. You may also schedule an appointment with the VITA site in the Ivy College of Business for free federal and state tax preparation assistance: https://www.ivybusiness.iastate.edu/vita-volunteer-income-tax-assistance-program/ We recommend the VITA option if your income for 2023 was greater than $9,000.
If you were employed in the U.S. during 2023, you must have Form W-2 from all employers summarizing the income you earned and taxes withheld for 2023. ISU W-2 forms are available for download from the "My Tax Documents" section of your "Pay" menu in Workday. Those of you who had tax treaty benefits on wages or a taxable scholarship during 2023 must also have Form 1042-S from your employer or sponsor. ISU Forms 1042-S are now available. If you authorized electronic delivery of an ISU Form 1042-S, you should have received an e-mail on or about March 12, 2024, with download instructions. If you did not authorize electronic Form 1042-S delivery, your Form 1042-S will be mailed to your U.S. address by March 15, 2024. Please allow at least a week for U.S. Postal Service delivery. If you received tax treaty benefits on wages or had a taxable scholarship during 2023, please be sure to include your Form 1042-S with your tax return.
Additional information about filing both U.S. and State income tax returns can be found on the ISSO Website.
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