IMPORTANT DATES: YOUR 2023 TAXES ARE DUE ON APRIL 15, 2024. Even if you had no income, you are required to file form 8843 as an F-1 or J-1 International Student if you were physically present in the U.S. in 2023.
Colombia College Chicago has partnered with Sprintax to assist International Students with their U.S. tax obligations by providing free filing of your form 8843 and Federal Return. Your Illinois State Tax return is at your expense (44.95). The code to free filing will be sent to your Columbia e-mail on January 22, 2024. If you did not receive an e-mail, please contact isss@colum.edu to receive your code. For complete guidelines on filing your taxes, please review the following:
Even if you did not earn any income, if you were physically in the US on F or J status anytime between January 1st – December 31st 2023, you’re obligated to file a Form 8843 with the IRS (the Internal Revenue Service, or ‘IRS’, are the US tax authorities).
Meanwhile, if you earned any taxable US source income, you may need to file a federal tax return with the IRS. Depending on your individual circumstances, you may also need to file a state tax return(s).
April 15, 2024 is the last day for residents and nonresidents who earned US income to file Federal tax returns for the 2023 tax year.
Generally, most international students & scholars who are on F, J, M or Q visas are considered nonresidents for tax purposes. International students on J-1 & F-1 visas are automatically considered nonresident for their first five calendar years in the US, whilst Scholars/Researchers on J visas are automatically considered nonresidents for two out of the last six calendar years in the US.
If you’ve been in the US for longer than the five or two year periods, the Substantial Presence Test will determine your tax residency.
We have teamed up with Sprintax to provide you with an easy-to-use tax preparation software designed for nonresident students and scholars in the US.
We (and all other university staff) are not qualified or allowed to provide individual tax advice.
After you login to Sprintax, you will be asked a series of questions about the time you have spent in the US over recent years. Sprintax will then determine your tax status. If it determines that you are a “nonresident alien” (NRA) for federal tax purposes, you can continue to use the software and respond to a series of guided questions. Sprintax will then complete and generate the tax forms you need to send to the tax authorities.