Tax Resources

International students and scholars who worked in the U.S. and received pay in the previous year need to fill out and file tax forms with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The OIS does not provide advice or assist with filing taxes. It is the individual’s responsibility to understand and meet tax obligations.

If you are a nonresident for U.S. income tax purposes, which many F-1 and J-1 students and scholars are, then you will need to file your 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ forms on U.S. income you earned in the previous year, even if your income was exempt from taxation based on a tax treaty. In addition, all students and scholars, including their dependents, who are on F or J visas, and who are nonresidents for U.S. tax purposes, are required to file Form 8843 Statement with the IRS, regardless of whether or not you had any U.S. income. Form 1042-S has been distributed by mail. If you have any basic questions about your tax filing status with the University, please contact Richard Gallardo at (210) 562-6309 or Sonia Arevalo at (210) 562-6379 in Payroll Services. Please note that the Payroll Services can only answer general questions related to U.S. income tax filing status and cannot give you advice about filing income tax forms.

The OIS wants to reiterate that we do not provide advice or assist with filing taxes. We do however purchase a license to a tax prep software to assist in preparing your U.S. federal income tax return (form) for non-resident tax filers each year. The IRS website provides examples on who qualifies as a “Non-Resident” for filing U.S. tax returns. The software will also help you determine if you are considered a “Non-Resident” or “Resident” for U.S. tax purposes. For those individuals who do not qualify as “Non-Residents” for filing U.S. tax returns, the software will not be of assistance to you and you will need to use another resources (IRS website, other tax software, private certified public account or tax preparer, etc.) to prepare your “Resident” tax returns.

The OIS does send out notice by email at the end of February or beginning of March that the software is live. This email will be sent to your student/employee UT Health San Antonio email account or the email that we have on file for those individuals that are not eligible for an email. This online tool provides easy-to-use federal tax preparation software along with an extensive online library that will help you file your tax forms and understand the often-confusing rules surrounding taxes for foreign nationals. The tax filing requirements will often be different from the requirements for the U.S. citizens due to tax treaties, immigration rules, and other exemptions. These complexities make it important to understand how you have been taxed so that you can properly complete a return.

The OIS encourages you to complete your U.S. tax return as soon as possible. The quicker you begin – the quicker you’ll finish and receive any tax refund due to you. There is a tax filing deadline and this date is usually in April. If you decide to use the software that the OIS provides, please note that the last two weeks of the tax season are a very busy time to use the software, so you may experience delays if you submit questions during that time.