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.
IRS tax filing deadline in 2023 for 2022 Tax Year: April 18, 2023
As an international student in the US, it’s very important that you comply with US tax law and understand the tax filing requirements of your visa. If any of the following circumstances apply to you during calendar year (January 1 – December 31) 2022, you MUST file a US tax return:
- You worked in the US
- You received a stipend, grant or allowance in 2022
- You had no earnings
If you were working, you would’ve been subject to Federal and State taxes and therefore must file a tax return each year. If you did not work or receive income in the US you’re still legally obliged to file a tax return (Form 8843) to declare no earnings.
The University of Wisconsin System works with Glacier Tax Prep to help guide international students who work on campus through the tax preparation process. More information about this software and services can be found at https://uwservice.wisconsin.edu/docs/publications/tax-nonresident-alien-resources.pdf
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Which forms do I need to file?
- 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 and who has dependents.
- Form 8843
- 1040NR (Federal Form)
- 1NPR (State Form)
- I am an international student who earned income (on campus job, internship, Sodexo, etc.) during the calendar year and who has no dependents.
- Form 8843
- 1040NR (Federal Form)
- 1NPR (State Form)
More information is available through the following links:
Do I have dependents or not?
With no dependents – it means that you have no children, spouse, relatives, or other individuals for whom you pay expenses.
Where can I get these forms?
- Federal Tax:
- Wisconsin State Tax:
When are the forms due?
April 18, 2023 is the Federal and Wisconsin state tax filing deadline. If you only need to file Form 8843, the deadline is June 15, 2023.
Form 8843 - How to Complete
Top of form:
- Write your FIRST (Given) NAME (if any).
- Write your LAST (Family) NAME.
- Write your Social Security Number or ITIN for your U.S. taxpayer identification number if you have one. If you do not have a social security number or ITIN, leave this field blank.
- Write your address in your home country.
- Write your address in the U.S.
Part I: General Information
1a. Write the visa type (F-1, F-2, J-1 or J-2) you used to enter the U.S. and the date you entered the U.S. on that visa (see I-94 record).
1b.
If you did not change your visa status (for example, from F-1 to J-1 status) since you last entered the U.S., write your visa status again and then “No Change.”
Or
If your visa status changed in 2022, enter your new visa status and the date that the change of status became effective.
2. Enter your country or countries of citizenship during 2022.
3a. Enter the country or countries that issued you a passport.
3b. Enter your passport number(s).
4a. Fill in the number of days you were present in the U.S. for each year on the form.
4b. 4a for year 2022 – number of days on substantial presence test = 4b. If you have been in the U.S. for less than 5 years, your answer to 4b will be the same as 4a.
Part II: Teachers and Trainees
Complete Part II only if you are a J-1 Professor or Researcher; then sign the form on the reverse (if you are not filing Form 8843 with your tax return).
- Write: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706; Tel: 608-262-1234.
- Write the name, address, and telephone number of your main contact in your host department at UW-Madison.
- Enter the type of visa you held for each year listed that you were in the U.S. If your visa status changed during any of these years, attach a statement showing the new visa type and the date received. If you were not present in the U.S. for some of the years listed, write “n/a” next to any year that you were not present in the U.S.
- If you were a researcher, professor, teacher, trainee, or student in the U.S. for any part of 2 of the 6 prior calendar years, mark “Yes”; otherwise, mark “No.” Important: If you mark “Yes,” make sure that all four parts of the exception discussed on p. 3 of Form 8843 (bottom of second column) apply to you. If you do not meet all four conditions listed, you should consult a tax expert, as you may be considered a U.S. resident for tax purposes.
Part III: Student
Complete Part III only if you are a student; then sign the form on the reverse (if you are not filing Form 8843 with your tax return).
- F-1/J-1 Students should write: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706; Tel: 608-262-1234.
F-2/J-2 Dependents should write: Spouse/dependent of student attending University of Wisconsin-Madison, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706; Tel: 608-262-1234.
- Write the name, address, and telephone number of your Department Chair/Dean.
F-2/J-2 Dependents should write: Spouse/dependent of student whose Department Chair/Dean is ____________ at University of Wisconsin-Madison, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706; Tel: 608-262-1234.
- Enter the type of visa you held for each year listed that you were in the U.S. If your visa status changed during any of these years, attach a statement showing the new visa type and the date received. If you were not present in the U.S. for some of the years listed, write “n/a” next to any year that you were not present in the U.S.
- If you have been in the U.S. as a student, researcher, teacher, professor, and/or trainee for more than five years, mark “Yes”; otherwise, mark “No.” If you mark “Yes,” you must attach a statement to establish that you do not intend to reside permanently in the U.S. (give intended date of departure and description of future plans).
- If you have not taken any steps to adjust your current nonimmigrant status to that of permanent resident, mark “No”; if you have, mark “Yes” and explain on the lines provided. Important: If you mark “Yes” for both Lines 12 and 13, you should consult a tax expert, as you may be considered a U.S. resident for tax purposes.
Parts IV and V: Professional Athletes or Individuals with Medical Conditions
Do not complete Parts IV and V.
Bottom of Form
If you will be filing a tax return (for example, submitting Form 8843 with Form 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ), DO NOT sign the bottom of this form.
*Important: Make a photocopy of Form 8843 for your permanent records.
Mailing Form 8843
If you did not work in the U.S. during the 2022 tax year, send the completed 8843 form by June 15, 2023 to:
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service Center
Austin, TX 73301-0215
If you DID work in the U.S. during the 2021 calendar year, send the completed 8843 form along with Form 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ to the address listed above by no later than April 18, 2023.
*Instructions adapted from University of Wisconsin-Platteville .
The University of Wisconsin cannot provide tax advice or assistance with tax form completion. For private, possibly fee-based consultations, consult a certified tax professional. For information related to taxes please visit the UW Service Center’s website.
Form 1040NR, 1040NR-EZ, or 1040 - Federal tax filing resources
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides assistance on federal filing requirements.
U.S. Internal Revenue Service: http://www.irs.gov
Assistance for Nonresident Aliens:
- IRS: Telephone 1-267-941-1000 (not toll-free)
- Forms and Publications:
http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html - Publication 519 US Tax Guide for Aliens: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p519.pdf
Assistance for Individuals with disabilities:
- IRS Telephone: 1-800-829-1040
- IRS TTY/TDD for people with hearing impairments: 1-800-829-4059
How to Contact the IRS:
http://www.irs.gov/contact/index.html
Income Tax Assistance for Resident Aliens:
Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA Sites):
https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Free-Tax-Return-Preparation-for-You-by-V…
https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/FAQS/pcs-vita.aspx
IRS Free File: https://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free
Form 1NPR - Wisconsin state tax filing resources
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
Forms and Publications: http://www.revenue.wi.gov/html/formpub.html
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.
Wisconsin e-file
FREE electronic filing system that nonresidents can use to file the WI income tax return. Located on Wisconsin Department of Revenue’s homepage: http://www.revenue.wi.gov/wi_efile/
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.
Individuals who had a Glacier account provided by the University of Wisconsin during 2021 may access GTP directly through their existing Glacier account if they wish to obtain free access to the GTP software.
Free access to GTP will be made available to individuals affiliated with the University of Wisconsin after March 1, 2023. They will be notified at that time by email.
Late February is also when the University expects to release the 1042-S forms to individuals who received a scholarship/fellowship stipend, tax treaty benefit, or other payments under income codes 12, 15, 16, 18, 19 or 50.
Once notified of GTP availability, individuals will be able to log into GTP through their regular Glacier account using the following steps:
- Login at: https://www.online-tax.net/;
- Select the GTP module from the Glacier menu screen;
- Individuals will also be able to print Form 1042-S through Glacier if they received income code 12, 15, 16, 18, 19 or 50 income during 2016 and they indicated in Glacier that they wish to receive their 1042-S electronically.
Anyone else being issued Form 1042-S will receive it via U.S. mail.
Individuals who do not remember the login or password for their regular Glacier account should select LOGIN, then FORGOT LOGIN. Once they enter the email address associated with their Glacier account and submit their request, they will receive an email containing Glacier access information.
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 April 18, 2022 tax filing deadline.
Federal tax returns (Forms 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ), 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.
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 during 2021 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 April 18, 2023 tax filing deadline.
Federal tax returns (Forms 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ), 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.
Sprintax - US Nonresident Tax Software
Sprintax is an online tax preparation software tool for international students & scholars to guide you through the 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. Sprintax YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/Sprintax/videos.
University of Wisconsin-Madison does not partner with or endorse Sprintax.
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 US?
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.
I wasn't in the US during calendar year 2022
If you were not physically present in the US and you did not earn income from the US, you do not need to file Form 8843 or Federal or Wisconsin state taxes.
Can ISS review my tax forms?
No. 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.
Did you receive a stimulus check?
Economic Impact Payments (Payments) from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
There are reports that some individuals received a deposit or check from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in error. If you are a non-resident alien for tax purposes, you are not eligible to receive the stimulus check. It is recommended that you do not spend this money as you may be required to return the stimulus. You may have received this in error because you mis-filed your 2018 annual federal taxes. You can amend your past tax filing if you believe you made a mistake.
You can review more information on the Economic Impact Payment (stimulus check) on the IRS website.
As a reminder, university staff are unable to provide tax advice.
Content used and recreated with permission from University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse International Education and Engagement office.