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As an international student who has been in the United States
during the 2011 calendar year, you will need to file one or
more tax forms in the spring of 2012. Tax laws that apply
to internationals are not the same as those that apply to
U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents. International students
who are filing tax forms for the first time often find it
to be a very confusing process. While we are not tax experts,
we do want to assist you with this responsibility.
The deadline for filing tax forms
for the 2011 tax year is April 17, 2012.
2012 Tax Assistance for RIT International Students:
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STUDENTS WITH NO INCOME IN U.S. in 2011 |
If you did not receive any income at all in the U.S. in the tax year (January 1st - December 31st), you still need to fill out a Form 8843, which records your presence in the U.S. but that form does not have to be filed until June 15th.
Form 8843 and Instructions
Tips on completing form 8843
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ONLINE TAX PREPARATION SOFTWARE |
RIT provides two tax software programs to assist international students in preparing and filing required U.S. tax forms. These programs are used to determine your appropriate tax status, whether you are eligible for a tax treaty benefit, and which forms are necessary for you to file. These resources are available to you for free and could save you money. We encourage you to take advantage of these systems and to keep your information updated regularly.
- GLACIER is an online tax compliance program, available at www.online-tax.net. RIT foreign nationals are automatically enrolled in GLACIER once they start working on campus. Login details and a temporary password are delivered by email when you arrive on campus. It is important to keep your GLACIER record updated at all times. RIT relies on this system to identify your appropriate tax status, monitor payments, and declare eligible tax treaty benefits.
- GLACIER Tax Prep (formerly called CINTAX) is a companion program that prepares Federal tax forms for persons taxed as Non-Resident Aliens, as determined through your GLACIER record. If you did not have access to GLACIER during 2011 because you were not employed by RIT you may still use GLACIER Tax Prep to prepare your taxes. You will received information from our office in February about how to access the GLACIER Tax Prep software.
You will receive an email from the RIT Payroll Office with instructions on how to use GLACIER Tax Prep to complete your U.S. tax forms. As explained in that email, you will simply access GLACIER using your existing UserID and Password, and GLACIER will transfer certain data directly into GLACIER Tax Prep. This will make your tax preparation very easy!
Before using tax software read this:
It is CRUCIAL that you wait until you have received your W-2 form (if you worked) AND your 1042-S form (you will be receiving a 1042-S only if you received fellowship or grants for living expenses and/or wages covered by a tax treaties) BEFORE you complete your federal tax return form. Employers must provide W-2 forms by January 31st and 1042-S forms by March 15th at the latest. The 1042-S will be sent out by the RIT Payroll office.
GLACIER Tax Prep instructions for students who did not have a GLACIER account and Instructions for students who had no income are available in the ISS Office.
Assistance in using GLACIER Tax Prep to complete federal tax forms, and New York State tax help will be provided on:
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Campus Center, Rooms 2610/2650
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Campus Center, Room 2610/2650
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Campus Center, Reading Room
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To request interpreting services go to https://myaccess.rit.edu/
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STATE TAX FORMS |
In addition to filing federal tax fomrs, many international students will need to file New York State tax forms. The GLACIER Tax Prep software does not help you complete these state forms, but it will determine if a state tax form is necessary and provide a link to the right forms. It is important to remember that in order to file your New
York State tax forms, you must first complete a federal
form. Information on how to complete New York State tax forms will be covered in the ISS Tax Workshops.
Five Steps to Completing New York State Tax Forms
Please note: State taxes vary by the state where income was earned during the tax year and forms must be filed separately for each state. If you did a co-op in another state you may need to complete a tax form for that state. Filing non-New York State tax forms is not covered in the ISS Tax Workshops, but the following is a link to State Tax Forms
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INDIVIDUAL TAX FORM PREPARATION FOR A FEE |
Some students decide to hire a professional tax preparer to file their taxes. This is especially helpful for students who are unable to use GLACIER Tax Prep, or students who have complicated tax issues, or would simply prefer to have a professional complete their tax forms for them.
Darrell Geib from Welker & Company Certified Public Accountants will be on campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays to assist students who would like their taxes done for a fee.
Note: Mr. Geib will be on campus for two hour blocks of time. Students who want to learn about his services and provide him with the information he needs to complete their taxes should meet Mr. Geib during the first hour he is on campus. Students who have already submitted their information to Mr. Geib should meet with him during the second hour to pick up theirr completed forms.
If you wish to attend one of these sessions, please send an email to Mr Geib at dgeib@clw-cpa.com.
Completion of Federal Form 1040 NR |
$90.00 |
New York State Form IT 203 |
$45.00 |
Other state tax form (MA, CA, etc) |
$50.00 |
Form 843 "Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement" |
$45.00 |
To request interpreting services go to https://myaccess.rit.edu/
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HOW TO REPLACE A LOST RIT W-2 FORM |
You may print a copy of your RIT W-2 form by logging into myinfo.rit.edu. If you have not set up your myinfo account, the process is easy:
- Go to https://myinfo.rit.edu
- Enter username: ritstudent
- Enter password: tiger123
- Create your own username & password by following the prompts. (You’ll need your PAY STUB to access your employee number* and the exact spelling of your name in the payroll system.) *Your employee number is the first five digits of your Kronos punch in number.
- Go to https://myinfo.rit.edu and log in with your new user name and password.
- Click on the RIT Student Self Service link.
- Click on the self-service option you need.
- Follow prompts to set up direct deposit, access your pay slip, update tax withholding, reprint your W2 and more!
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UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO WEBCASTS |
The following resources are provided by University of Buffalo International Student and Scholar Services:
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FILING FOR AN EXTENSION OF TIME TO FILE TAX FORMS |
If you need to request more time to complete your federal or state tax forms you must do so by the tax filing deadline, April 17, 2012.
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ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE |
H & R Block
1040.com
IRS
1-800-829-3676 (forms & publications)
1-800-829-1040 (advice)
255 East Ave., Rochester, NY
http://www.irs.ustreas.gov
NY
State
1-800-225-5829
229 Monroe Ave., Rochester, NY
http://www.tax.state.ny.us/
US
Tax Rules Applicable to Foreign Nationals
http://www.windstar-tech.com/
Income
Tax Treaty Information by Country
http://www.windstar-tech.com/public/treaties/.html
Windstar
Technologies, Inc. - Solutions for International Taxation
http://www.windstar-tech.com
Country-Specific
Tax Sites
http://www.taxsites.com/international.html
Note:
ISS staff members are not tax professionals. While our
office makes GLACIER Tax Prep and other resources available to our students,
we cannot provide individual tax advice. |
