CHAPTER 12

Federal Income Taxes

All nonresident students, regardless of whether they have worked, are required to file (complete and mail) Form 8843. If you were employed, you must complete the 1040NR form (NR=Non Resident). The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also requires you to file a Georgia state income tax form if you have been employed.

Taxes are filed between January 1 and April 15.

Many countries have a tax treaty with the United States. The Tax Treaties Publication #901 is available from the IRS. The telephone number for requesting forms is 1-800-829-3676. Every international student must get a social security card before they can work in the United States.  International students are not required to pay Social Security or Medicare taxes. These are programs American citizens pay into in preparation for their retirement. Since the regular paycheck will stop at retirement, this is a form of income.

The office of International Student Retention Services (OISRS) attempts to provide an income tax session each year to assist international students with their taxes. But, it is your responsibility to make sure you file and file correctly before the April 15 deadline each year. If you would like tax information, a website for international students is www.thetaxguy.com/nrtaxguide.htm

Did you know …

  • There have been 3 U.S. personal income tax filing deadlines in the last 84 years? The first deadline was March 1, 1914; extended to March 15, 1919, and finally to April 15, 1955.
  • Salt, the most widely used seasoning in the world, was used as monthly wages for Roman legionnaires? It was called "salt money" or solarium. This is the root of the word salary.
  • There is enough salt in the world's oceans to cover the U.S. in a layer of salt 1½ miles thick?
  • The Dead Sea is 8 times as salty as an ocean?
  • A quarter has 119 grooves on its circumference. A dime has one less.
  • The amount of play money printed each year for use in the Parker Brothers "Monopoly" games is more than the annual amount of real currency issued by the U.S. government?

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