Tax Basics
If you are an international student/scholar who earned no U.S. source income in 2012
You are only required to file the Federal Income Tax Form 8843, "Statement for Exempt Individuals and Individuals with a Medical Condition." The purpose of this form is to confirm your non-resident tax status in the U.S. You will see that it is a very short form asking for your basic information. It should not take very long to complete. File the 8843 by April 15, 2013.
If you are an international student/scholar who did earn U.S.-source income in 2012
You will need:
- Form 1042-S AND/OR Form 1099 AND/OR Form W-2
You may receive a Form W-2 from your employer(s) including Brandeis University if you worked on campus. This form provides a summary of the income you earned from your employer and the taxes withheld or already paid to the government. If you do not receive a W-2, you should receive a Form 1042-S AND/OR Form 1099.
If you did receive a W-2, in addition you may also receive a Form 1042-S AND/OR Form 1099 IF you claimed a tax treaty OR received funding from Brandeis that is not taxable.
Please wait to receive these forms in the mail by early-March. If you worked for Brandeis University, and you have questions about the tax documents above, you can contact Brandeis Payroll Office (who is responsible for sending these forms to those who worked at Brandeis).
What do you do with these documents?
These documents will assist you in being able to complete your Federal Tax forms. Since you earned U.S.-sourced income in 2012, you are required to file additional tax forms, depending on your tax residency status:
- As a nonresident or resident for tax purposes, file Federal Income Tax Form 8843
- As a nonresident for tax purposes, file Federal Form 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ
- As a resident for tax purposes, file Form 1040-EZ or 1040
MA State Taxes
Please note that depending on your earnings, you may be required to file a Massachusetts State Income Tax Return.
NOTE: If you lived, or attended school, in another State in the U.S. at any point during the 2012 calendar year, you may be required to file a State Income Tax Return in the State(s) you resided or attended school. Please consult the department of revenue or other appropriate State Government office/agency to confirm State Income Tax Return filing requirements for that State.
How to File Taxes
There are different ways you can file your taxes:
- Complete the forms on your own (paper or online versions of the income tax return forms) and mail them to the appropriate government agency (mailing addresses are included in the instructions for all tax forms). NOTE: The Federal Income Tax Return and the Massachusetts State Income Tax Returns go to different addresses.
- Hire a tax accountant to complete your taxes for you (you can do this if you are a non-resident or resident for tax purposes). Please note that there is a cost to hiring someone to complete your income tax returns on your behalf. If you would like a referral for a tax attorney, email isso@brandeis.edu
- Use Windstar Non-Resident Tax Software, which assists you to file both Federal Tax Returns and Massachusetts State Tax Returns, available for $5 from the ISSO (if you are a non-resident for tax purposes).