Tax filing in the United States is complicated. Taxes in the U.S. are reconciled every April with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the previous tax year. The filing deadline for the 2024 calendar year is April 15, 2025.
YSU is currently using Sprintax Calculus, a nonresident alien software, to document compliance with the tax withholding and reporting rules. Many of you who received scholarships for housing during calendar year 2024 have been set up with a user account in Sprintax Calculus. Emails will be sent from Sprintax Calculus to activate your account. Sprintax Calculus will ask for information on Residency, Personal data, contact information, payments and then will provide a residency summary (Nonresident Alien or Resident Alien) and then will let you know if tax treaties are available.
Once you have received your email from Sprintax Calculus, it is important that you complete your account set up to ensure that payments are properly calculated. The software includes several help menus as well as offering live chat, if assistance is needed. If you have any additional problems, please email the YSU Controllers Office at controllersoffice@ysu.edu.
Most international students are considered nonresidents for tax purposes. To determine your tax status, you may use the following decision tree from the Internal Revenue Service:
International students who are nonresidents for tax purposes should NOT use TurboTax and should NOT take their taxes to an off-campus tax preparation agency – there is a high probability that those agencies do not have expertise in non-resident taxes and will likely prepare the wrong forms. Non-residents for tax purposes CANNOT claim the American Opportunity Tax credit (1098-T). Filing for that credit constitutes knowingly filing a false tax return and carries severe penalties. If you are a non-resident for tax purposes and received the 1098-T from YSU in the mail/email, you should disregard this form.
Tips for a Successful Tax Season:
- Be Informed.
General information on nonresident taxes can be found on the IRS website and in the IRS Publication 519 (U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens). In general, for federal tax filing, F-1students are considered to be non-residents for tax purposes for the first 5 tax years in the U.S. Therefore, if you have been in the U.S. for 5 or less tax years, you are likely anon-resident for tax purposes. Non-residents for tax purposes are exempt from the FICA taxes. To determine tax residency, it is best to refer to the Internal Revenue Service (www.irs.gov).
All F-1 students and their F-2 dependents who are nonresidents for tax purposes must file at least the Form 8843. This form is required for all F-1 and F-2 nonresidents for tax purposes, including new students during the Spring 2025 Semester, who were physically present in the U.S. in 2024, regardless of whether you had income in the U.S. in 2024. - Stay organized! Gather all forms that are required to file your tax return.
In January/February 2025, employers and financial institutions did or will send out tax returns.
If you worked on campus as a YSU student employee, an electronic copy of yourW-2 will be available (1/31/25) in your Penguin Portal (look for “Taxes” in the section where you enter your hours). Contact Payroll with questions: 330-941-1470, payroll@ysu.edu.
If you received a scholarship for housing during calendar year 2024, you will receive a tax form 1042-S sometime before March 15, 2025. This form will be made available through Sprintax, for those who set up their account (see Sprintax Calculus reference above). For those who do not setup a Sprintax account, the forms will be distributed through mail. Please follow this link to view and update your U.S. address in your Penguin Portal. - Tax Preparation Software
The following software will ensure you are completing the appropriate tax forms as anon-resident for tax purposes. The Sprintax preparation software has the capability of helping to prepare federal AND state taxes. NOTE: There is a cost associated with this software. Should you choose to use Sprintax software, you will be responsible for paying the fee. DO NOT USE TURBOTAX.
Please see a link to the Sprintax website with additional information below:- Sprintax
- Sprintax Knowledge Base
- You may also find it helpful to review Sprintax’s blog on nonresident tax filing
- Sprintax free educational tax webinars: Sprintax is hosting several free educational tax webinars that will be available to nonresidents prior to and during the US tax filing season. You may register using the registration links below for a session that works well for you:
- Thursday February 6th @ 1pm ET
- Tuesday February 18th @ 12pm ET
- Tuesday March 4th @ 4pm ET
- Wednesday March 19th @ 2pm ET
- Wednesday March 26th @ 1pm ET
- Thursday April 3rd @ 3pm ET
- Thursday April 10th @ 12pm ET
- Monday April 14th @ 1pm ET
- Sprintax e-forms available
When activating your Sprintax account, selecting Electronic 1042-S Consent, allows for your 2024 1042-S form to be available to you via your Sprintax account.
If electronic consent is given, a hard copy of the Form 1042-S will not be mailed. If electronic consent is not given, please make sure a good address is on file for the Form1042-S to be mailed. - Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) – optional with limited appointments available.
As mentioned during the international student orientation sessions at the beginning of the fall semester, international students in need of income tax filing assistance may register for an appointment to use YSU’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program to prepare and file their 2024 tax returns. When you register, please use your YSU student email address, not a personal email. Please keep in mind that these appointments are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the appointment slots are filled, you will need to consider other options (i.e., Sprintax) for filing your taxes on your own.
Registration is now available using the following link:
https://reg.learningstream.com/view/view_month.aspx?as=23&wp=126&aid=YSU&cat1=1787
Please note that the above link is the ONLY permitted link for international students. Students who registered using any other link provided from any other source will be automatically rejected. Do not use links forwarded to you from someone else. Only the link provided here may be used.
You will select your appointment time online now, but you must come in person to that appointment in Williamson Hall. If you need to cancel your appointment, we cannot guarantee that another appointment will be available, so please make sure to schedule your appointment for a date and time to which you can commit.
You will need to bring the following documents with you to your appointment:- Passport
- Visa
- Social Security Card (if you have one)
- Ohio Driver's License (if you have one)
- List of all dates you have entered and departed from the United States
- Name and phone number for your YSU advisor
- Bank account routing number and account number
- W2 form from employment
- 1099 form for scholarships
- 1042-S from YSU
- Any other tax forms received
- Be mindful of the tax filing deadline!
The filing deadline for 2024 taxes is April 15, 2025