Paying U.S. Taxes
General Information
As in most countries, the tax laws in the United States are very complex. The resources on this page and any subsequent pages should help you to better understand your tax obligation, know what and where to research, and to successfully file your tax forms. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the U.S. government agency that collects taxes.
It is important to be aware that, as a non-resident student in the U.S., you are legally required to file a tax return if you received any U.S. income during the tax year.
Even if you did not work or receive income in the U.S., you are still required to file a Form 8843 with the IRS.
Sprintax Nonresident Tax Webinars
Baylor University has arranged free access to Sprintax Tax Preparation for you. Please click here to access the website.
Sprintax will guide you through the tax preparation process, arrange the necessary documents and let you know if you are due a tax refund. It will be your responsibility to mail the documents to the address provided.
In the tax webinars, international students, scholars and professionals will be given information about nonresident tax for the 2024 tax season. Topics will include who must file, tax residency, FICA, State returns, implications of misfiling as well as how to use Sprintax to prepare a compliant tax return.
- Thursday February 6th @ 1pm ET – Register here
- Tuesday February 18th @ 12pm ET – Register here
- Tuesday March 4th @ 4pm ET – Register here
- Wednesday March 19th @ 2pm ET – Register here
- Wednesday March 26th @ 1pm ET – Register here
- Thursday April 3rd @ 3pm ET – Register here
- Wednesday April 10th @ 12pm ET – Register here
- Monday April 14th @ 1pm ET – Register here
Sprintax also has a wealth of resources in the form of YouTube videos here on filing your taxes.
Listed below are some important points to remember. This information is meant to be a general introduction and should not be considered legal tax advice:
- Taxes are paid on the income from the previous year. For example, 2023 forms are used for the income that was earned during the 2024 calendar year (not the academic school year) but the forms are filed in April of the following year (in this example it would be 2025).
- As an F-1, J-1 Student, or J-1 Scholar, you may need to file forms each year with the IRS, even if you earned no income. Your specific requirements may depend on many factors including, but not limited to, your visa status, the purpose of your visit, the number of days you were in the United States, the amount of income you earned, and if there is a tax treaty between your country and the U.S.
- While employers do deduct money from your paycheck throughout the year and send it to the IRS, it may not equal the exact amount owed at the end of the year. If too much was deducted, you may be eligible for a refund. If not enough was deducted, you may owe more to the government.
- It is your responsibility to understand and meet your tax obligations. Our office and Sprintax are here to help.