Legal

Filing Taxes

It is tax time again!  All international persons who were physically present in the US during calendar year 2012 are required to file a federal tax return (Form 8843 if you were not employed; 1040NR and 8843 if you received paid employment).  

The deadline to file your taxes is April 1, 2013.

If you were not employed during calendar year 2013, you will be considered to be an Exempt Individual and you need to file only Form 8843.  The form is available online at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8843.pdf (instructions), or you can complete Form 8843 online using CINTAX.  If you would like more information, click the following link: www.arcticintl.com/portal/forms/GTPNoincome.pdf.

If you were employed at any time during calendar year 2013, your employer should have already generated a tax form (W-2) for you.  OIP has received the W-2s for the students who were employed by Ithaca College in 2013 and you are welcome to come to our office to collect your W-2.  If we have your W-2, we already sent you an e-mail to your IC e-mail address notifying you we have your W-2 and giving you the code you need to access CINTAX (see more below).  You can also print your own W-2 from Parnassus.  If you have questions on how to do this, you can e-mail payroll@ithaca.edu or call 4-3133 for further assistance.  This service is only available to current IC students.  If you have already left IC and you do not have your W-2 from 2013, please contact us.  You can find more info at www.arcticintl.com/portal/forms/welcometogtp.pdf .

OIP has purchased a special tax software (CINTAX) for the F-1 and J-1 international students and scholars at IC, and we hope that you find this an easy and quick way to prepare your federal tax return.  You will need to set up an account with CINTAX at www.glaciertax.com using the CINTAX code which was e-mailed to you by OIP (contact ddimitrova@ithaca.edu if you did not get the code).  Please read the instructions before doing your taxes.  If you have questions regarding CINTAX, online help is available at the bottom of every screen.  For technical issues, please e-mail support@cintax.us.  In the section asking for the name and contact information of the person in charge of your program, you are welcome to use my name and address (Diana Dimitrova, OIP, 214-2 CHS, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY 14850; tel. 607-274-3306). 

Do not forget that you must print out your tax return when finished, sign, and mail it according to the instruction. Your return will not be submitted electronically!

To file a NY State tax return (look in Section 17 of your W-2 to see if you were taxed by NY State), please contact internationalVITA@gmail.com and they will assist you. You can also schedule a meeting with a VITA team member if necessary.

If you would like help with your tax return, there are seven tax infosessions:

  • Monday, February 18, 4-5:30 pm, Friends 110 Technology Classroom
  • Wednesday, February 27, 4-5:30 pm, Friends 110 Technology Classroom
  • Wednesday, March 6, 4-5:30 pm, Friends 110 Technology Classroom
  • Wednesday, March 20, 4-5:30 pm, Friends 110 Technology Classroom
  • Wednesday, March 27, 4-5:30 pm, Friends 110 Technology Classroom
  • Wednesday, April 3, 4-5:30 pm, Friends 110 Technology Classroom
  • Wednesday, April 10, 4-5:30 pm, Friends 110 Technology Classroom

Please bring to the infosession all of your tax documents, as well as your passport, I-94,  your I-20/DS-2019, Social Security Number, and a copy of your previous tax return (if available) to the help session.

Please note: the tax information is provided by VITA volunteers – OIP and VITA are not tax experts, we are offering our free help to you and we encourage you to seek the advice of a professional tax-preparing service if would like someone to do your tax returns for you.  It is your responsibility to file a tax return - even if you did not earn income in 2013.