2025 IRS tax filing deadline for 2024 Tax Year: April 15th, 2025
Please note that International Student Services (ISS) does not advise on taxes or tax law. The information provided is intended only as introductory information. If you need help with your taxes, you should contact a professional.
Wisconsin State Tax Filing Deadlines
If you missed tax filing in a prior year, you can and should file for that year; filing late is better than not filing at all. Sprintax can help you file for prior years.
As an international student in the U.S., it’s very important that you comply with U.S. tax law and understand the tax filing requirements of your visa. If any of the following circumstances apply to you during calendar year 2024 (physically present in the U.S. during January-December of 2024), you MUST file a U.S. tax return:
- You worked in the U.S.
- You received a stipend, grant or allowance
- You had no earnings
If you worked or had other U.S. based income, you would’ve been subject to Federal and State taxes and therefore must file a tax return each year. Most F and J students and scholars who did not work or receive income in the U.S. are still legally obliged to file Form 8843 to declare no earnings.
ISS staff are not tax professionals and are not able to review your tax forms before you submit. The advice provided on the ISS website is the extent of the advising we are able to offer. You may find a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who is familiar with Non Resident Alien tax filing to provide guidance, or use a tool such as Glacier or Sprintax to help prepare your documents.
UW–Madison has partnered with Sprintax to support nonresident students and staff with filing their taxes. Sprintax is an online tax preparation software for international students & scholars to guide you through the tax filing process and avoid U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) penalties and fines. Sprintax will help you file a timely and accurate return, meet the tax obligations of your academic visa, and maximize your tax refund. It is an easy-to-use, step-by-step tool that helps you prepare your tax return online. As an F-1 or J-1 student ISS will email you with the login credentials on February 5th to see if you qualify to file through Sprintax!
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How do I determine my tax residency?
Tax residency differs from visa status. The first step in doing your U.S. taxes is to determine whether you are a resident or nonresident for tax purposes, as there are different tax rates and forms for tax residents and tax nonresidents. Sprintax and Glacier are both nonresident tax software providers that will begin by determining your tax residency. After the tax residency determination, individuals who are nonresidents for tax purposes can continue using Sprintax or Glacier to prepare their tax forms. Individuals who are residents for tax purposes would not be able to proceed in Sprintax or Glacier and would need to use a tax software for tax residents.
Which forms do I need to file? (Nonresidents for Tax Purposes)
- I am an international student who did not earn income during the calendar year.
- Form 8843 only
- I am an international student who earned income (on campus job, internship, Sodexo, etc.) during the calendar year.
- If you were not physically present in the U.S. and you did not earn income from the U.S., you do not need to file Form 8843 or Federal or Wisconsin state taxes.
More information is available through the following links:
State Tax Filing Requirements
Each state has state tax filing requirements. If you worked in the state of Wisconsin, you have to file your Wisconsin state tax filing in addition to your federal tax return. This is required for resident aliens for tax purposes and non-resident aliens for tax purposes. If you worked in another state, you will need to follow guidance from that state to timely and accurately file your state taxes.
Wisconsin State Tax Assistance (Form 1NPR)
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) provides assistance on state filing requirements. Please note that the DOR does not prepare Wisconsin State Income Tax returns.
Wisconsin Department of Revenue Contact Information
Website: http://www.revenue.wi.gov
Email: DORincome@wisconsin.gov
Phone: (608) 266-2772
Filing a Wisconsin State Income Tax Return
If you need to file a Wisconsin state tax return, Wisconsin e-file is a free option available to do so.
FREE electronic filing system that nonresidents can use to file the WI income tax return. Located on Wisconsin Department of Revenue’s homepage.
Other State Tax Filing Assistance
You may find the tax filing requirements of another state on this consolidated list.
ISS is not able to provide assistance with state tax filing requirements for Wisconsin or any other state.
Tax software for Nonresident Aliens for Tax Purposes
UW–Madison students and scholars who are nonresidents for tax purposes will need to use a nonresident tax software to complete their tax forms. Nonresidents for tax purposes can use either Sprintax or Glacier tax software.
Sprintax - U.S. Nonresident Tax Software
Sprintax – U.S. Nonresident Tax Software
Sprintax is an online tax preparation software tool for international students & scholars to guide you through the U.S. tax filing process and avoid IRS penalties and fines. Sprintax will help you file a timely and accurate return, meet the tax obligations of your academic visa, and maximize your tax refund. It is an easy-to-use, step-by-step tool that helps you prepare your tax return online. Just follow the simple instructions, answer a few questions, and Sprintax will do the rest. UW-Madison will provide international students with a code to waive the software cost of federal filing (any taxes owed or fees for additional forms are your responsibility).
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- This is a 24/7 live chat that can help to answer all of your tax questions as you are filing!
GLACIER Tax Prep – U.S. Nonresident Tax Software
GLACIER Tax Prep – U.S. Nonresident Tax Software
How to use Glacier – For students with on-campus employment
The Office of Human Resources (OHR) manages Glacier. Review the information on OHR’s webpage before contacting them directly with any questions.
GLACIER Tax Prep (GTP) is web-based tax preparation software designed to help prepare a U.S. federal Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return (Form 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ) and Form 8843. UW–Madison student employees can obtain a Tax Summary Report through your Glacier Payroll Account. This report will provide your tax residency status to help you determine what status to file your taxes under. More information on filing taxes in the U.S. can be found here on the University of Wisconsin Service Center’s website.
How to use Glacier - For students with on-campus employment
Individuals who had a Glacier account provided by the University of Wisconsin may access GTP directly through their existing Glacier account if they wish to obtain free access to the GTP software.
Returns prepared through GTP are not electronically submitted to the IRS. Each individual must print, sign and mail their federal tax return to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by the tax filing deadline.
Federal tax returns (Form 1040NR), Form 8843, and state tax returns should not be submitted to the University of Wisconsin.
Individuals with questions while preparing their tax return through GTP should contact the GTP support team. Help links are available on all pages within the GTP website. Individuals who do not wish to use GTP to prepare their federal income tax return may obtain tax forms and more information directly from the Internal Revenue Service website.
If you are having issues accessing this information you can contact the Office of Human Resources by emailing: glacier@ohr.wisc.edu.
Visit the Human Resources International Payroll and Tax Filing page to learn more.
How to use Glacier - For students who did not work on campus
Individuals who did not have a Glacier account through the University of Wisconsin may request access to GTP to prepare a federal tax return. For further details on the request click here.
Returns prepared through GTP are not electronically submitted to the IRS. Each individual must print, sign and mail their federal tax return to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by the tax filing deadline.
Federal tax returns (Form 1040NR), Form 8843, and state tax returns should not be submitted to the University of Wisconsin.
Individuals with questions while preparing their tax return through GTP should contact the GTP support team. Help links are available on all pages within the GTP website. Individuals who do not wish to use GTP to prepare their federal income tax return may obtain tax forms and more information directly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website. For students with disabilities, please see the tax forms in a more accessible format on the IRS website.
Visit the Human Resources International Payroll and Tax Filing page to learn more.
Tax Filing Resources for Resident Aliens for Tax Purposes:
International students and scholars who are residents for tax purposes will not be able to complete their tax forms with Sprintax or Glacier Tax Prep. Sprintax will direct residents for tax purposes to file via TurboTax, but you are not required to use TurboTax. You may use a tax software for tax residents, including filing resources through the IRS for tax residents:
IRS Free File: https://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free
Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA Sites):
Federal tax filing resources
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides assistance on federal tax filing requirements. More information is available through the following links:
Assistance for Nonresident Aliens for Tax Purposes:
- IRS: Telephone 1-267-941-1000 (not toll-free)
- Forms and Publications:
Assistance for Individuals with disabilities:
- IRS Telephone: 1-800-829-1040
- IRS TTY/TDD for people with hearing impairments: 1-800-829-4059
Contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Do I need an SSN or ITIN to file taxes?
You need either a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) in order to file your Federal or State income tax return. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will reject returns without these numbers. (Numbers that begin with 999 or 90 are not U.S. Social Security Numbers).
You do not need an SSN or ITIN to file only Form 8843.
Does my country have a tax treaty with the U.S.?
Currently the U.S. has tax treaties or agreements with approximately 40 countries and territories under which their citizens may be exempt from all or part of U.S. federal income tax.
To see if your country is among these and how a treaty may affect your tax status, read the IRS Publication 901.
Past Tax Year Information
If you missed tax filing in a prior year, you can and should file for that year; filing late is better than not filing at all. Sprintax can help you file for prior years.
COVID-19 Stimulus Information: We have made this section to provide information for past tax years which are from 2022-2020. You can click the button below to have more information on the Covid-19 stimulus check and Wisconsin Department of Revenue 2021-2022 filing tax information.