UT Shield

The UT Austin International Student & Scholar Services Blog

News from International Student & Scholar Services

, Filed Under: Taxes

Tax Form 8843 for Nonresident Aliens

With tax season upon us, it can often be confusing to know what your filing responsibilities are. Here are some helpful questions and answers for international students and scholars.

Do all nonresident aliens need to file taxes?

No. Not all nonresident aliens for tax purposes need to file taxes. If you did not have any U.S.-source income, wages, scholarship, treaty benefits, or capital gains on the sale of stock, etc. then you will not be required to file taxes. You will only be required to file form 8843.

Do all nonresident aliens need to file form 8843?

Yes. All nonresident aliens for tax purposes need to file form 8843 regardless of whether or not they need to file taxes. This includes dependent spouses and children who are nonresident aliens for tax purposes. This form is simply stating to the U.S. government that you were in the U.S. and is not the same as filing taxes. You can use GLACIER Tax Prep to create and print your 8843 or you can use the 8843 and instructions provided on our tax website.

Do all international students and scholars need to file form 8843?

No. If you are a resident alien for tax purposes (generally, students who have been in the U.S. for longer than 5 years and scholars who have been in the U.S. for longer than 2 years), you do not need to file form 8843. This is only required of nonresident aliens for tax purposes.

Is a SSN or ITIN required to file form 8843?

No. You do not need a SSN or an ITIN to file form 8843. There is a place to enter your tax identification number if you have one, but you do not need a tax identification number to file this document.

When is the deadline to file form 8843?

That depends on whether or not you were required to file taxes. If you filed taxes for 2012, your 8843 should be submitted with your tax return and postmarked by April 15, 2013. If you are submitting the 8843 alone, the deadline is June 17, 2013.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi there,after reading this article I realized that I need to file to IRS my tax return and 8843form but I have skiped the last 2 years. Should I file 8843 this year if I haven’t done this for the last 2 years.I have tried to register in Glacier but i was asked for some code my Uni haven’t provided me with any codes and I don’t want to prepare my tax return on my own. Can somebody help me out?

  2. Hello Don,

    We have a link to the current year’s 8843 and instructions on how to file it here: http://world.utexas.edu/isss/tax/forms

    You can find prior years’ 8843s on the IRS website here:http://apps.irs.gov/app/picklist/list/priorFormPublication.html

    Finally, if you had US-sourced income and need to file taxes this year or for past years, you can make an appointment in early March to meet with ISSS and use our tax software here:http://world.utexas.edu/isss/tax

    Please let me know if you have further questions!

  3. Hello, I have one question:

    If I have here since 2010 and I did not send a 8843 form in each year. Do I need to download all of them and send it this year(8843 for 2010,2011,2012 and 2013)?

    Thank you.

    Andres

  4. Hello Andres,

    Thanks for your inquiry! Technically, you should mail the 8843s for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 in separate envelopes to the IRS.

    You can find the prior year forms here:
    http://apps.irs.gov/app/picklist/list/priorFormPublication.html

    There is no monetary consequence for not submitting prior year 8843s but it is good to remain compliant with the IRS. A benefit of submitting a prior year 8843 is that you may be able to exclude days you were absent from the U.S.from your substantial presence test. This can affect your tax residency status.

    Don’t hesitate to contact me with more questions.

    Genevieve

  5. Hi,
    So I have filed taxes for 2012 and 2013 but did not realize until recently that I needed to submit form 8843 along with each tax return. Seeing that I now know this can I just submit the form 8843 for these years separately or do I have to amend my taxes altogether?

    • Hello Keegs,

      If you are a UT Austin nonresident alien for tax purposes, GLACIER Tax Prep should have generated this form with your tax return. In any case, if you’re a nonresident alien for tax purposes and did not submit 8843s for 2012 or 2013, you can simply mail them in separately to the IRS and do not need to amend your tax returns.

      Best wishes,
      Genevieve

  6. Hi there,

    I am present in the US for more than five years, from 2008 to be exact. In some sources it is stated that I do not need to file form 8843. I have a question. What should I file if I am here as an International Student and I did not work but only studied throughout whole year. In Part iii-12 in form 8843 stated that I must provide an attached statement to establish that I do not intend to reside in the US. So, if I need to fill out the form 8843 what kind of statement it should be? Something where stated why it takes me so long to accomplish my educational goals or what should I write?
    Thank you!
    Look forward hearing from you.

  7. Dear Sergey,

    You do not need to file form 8843 if you have been in the U.S. for over five years, even if you are still on a nonresident student visa. The form 8843 is a declaration of tax residency for nonresidents for tax purposes and does not apply to your tax status.

    Kind regards,
    Genevieve

  10. I need to fill the 8843’s part3: students part, but I graduate from A University and then enrolled in B university in 2014. My tax refund job was Teaching Assistant in A university, so which university’s information should I fill in that part? A or B?

    Thanks

  11. Hi Evelyn,

    That is a good question. It is my understanding that you should fill out the 8843 information with your current school’s information because this form is related to days of presence in the U.S. and is not directly connected to income.

    Kind regards,
    Genevieve

  12. Hi Genevieve,

    I have worked and earned less then $1000 since 2012,2013,2014, and haven’t filed my taxes including 8843, any tax form, because I was too busy in studies and dumb. Can I submit all those forms for previous years including the 8843 and 1040NR-EZ ??

    How can I go about doing this?

  13. Dear Kev,

    ISSS offers prior year tax services for UT students. Here is the link:
    http://world.utexas.edu/isss/tax/schedule

    If you prefer to do this on your own or are not a UT student, you can find the prior year IRS forms here:
    http://apps.irs.gov/app/picklist/list/priorFormPublication.html

    Please note that you are not required to file a tax return since you made under the personal exemption amount but you are required to file an 8843 each year.

    Kind regards,
    Genevieve

    • I see, I have earned about $300 in 2012, $700 in 2013, a personal fellowship of $4k as a room and board waiver in 2014, I haven’t send either 8843 and 1040NR-EZ for any of them, also the state forms as well.

      Hence my real question is how should I send this docs, should i submit them altogether with a note saying “I’m sorry, I forgot about this!” or I should send individually in a different envelope at the same time? is that what I have to do for the state one as well?

  14. Dear Kev,

    It is our understanding that each prior year’s tax documents should be sent individually.

    We do not advise on state taxes, I recommend contacting your school, a tax professional or the IRS with this question.

    Best wishes,
    Genevieve

  15. I have filed the form 8843 for 2014, but I forgot to answer the questions: 1b and 4a. Do I have to resend the form again with compete information.

  16. Hello,

    That question would be best directed to the IRS as they ultimately process the form. They can be contacted at 1-888-796-1040.

  17. Hello, will everything be ok if I send the form 8843 for 2013 now? Is it too late? Thank you for your response.

  20. Hello,

    I have been an international student in the US from Fall 2007 to Fall 2011 and Fall 2014 to Spring 2015, with no working hours throughout. Do I need to fill out Form 8843? If so, for Question 12, “5 calendar years” means a continuous 5 years or 5 years in total?

    Thanks.

  21. *Please note that information on this blog and in the comments is primarily intended for international students and scholars at The University of Texas at Austin and is provided by international student advisors with basic volunteer tax assistance training who are not tax professionals. We are happy to assist all students with basic questions, but this is not constituted as professional advice and we recommend students contact tax professionals or the IRS for professional tax advice.

    If you filled out the 8843 incorrectly, it would be best to contact the IRS directly to ask for guidance or contact a tax professional.

    Bernadette– “5 calendar years” does not necessarily mean continuous, but 2007-2011 counted as your five calendar years so you do not need to fill out the 8843 from 2012 forward.

    Kind regards,
    Genevieve

  22. Hi,
    I have never realized that I was supposed to submit Form 8843 until this year, although I have been in the US with an F1 visa since 2008. I had attended high school in the US from 2008-2012, and now college. Do I therefore not have to file Form 8843 since it has been more than 5 years?
    Also is it correct to send the past years Form 8843 in separate envelopes for each year?
    I also never filed taxes last year, although I did work. Should I file them now?

    Thank you for all your help!

  23. Hi,

    I would like to know if the date for 1a part of the tax form 8843 is the last date I entered to the U.S. with the F1 visa, or if it is the date of the first time I entered to the U.S. with the F1 visa. Thanks for your help!.

  24. Other question,

    I have been in the U.S. as international student since 2006. I understand that I do not need to fill this form since I am resident alien for tax purposes. Do still need to fill and send the 8843 form from 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010?

    Thanks again for your help.

  25. Hello I am confused between my non resident alien or resident tax status. I came in US in year 2013 and i stayed in the US for 151 days in the year, 350 days in 2014 and 356 days in year 2015. This year i will be filing for taxes for the year 2015.I just wanted to clarify mt doubt.

  26. I no longer live in the US, I left in the summer of 2015, and had no income in 2015 (I had an F-1 visa from 2010-2015). Do I have to submit form 8843 this year? Thanks for the help!

  27. Hello Prajakti,

    The answer depends on whether you are a F-1/J-1 student or a J-1 scholar. If you are a student, you are a nonresident alien for tax purposes for the first 5 years you are in the U.S. If you are a scholar, you are a nonresident alien for tax purposes for the first 2 years you are in the U.S.

    Best regards,
    Genevieve

  28. Hi Geneviene, Thanks for helping us.

    I still have a doubt

    In 2014, I was studying in Us for 3 months. I had a F1 visa. Do I still need to fill the form 8834 for that time?

    I already went to US, but as a tourist with my B2 visa. Should I consider this trip in my substantial presence date?

    Every time I come to US Do I need to fill this form?

    Thanks very much

    Juliana

  29. Hi Genevieve,

    I have the same question as Juliana. I have been in the US on a J-1 visa for three months in 2015 and departed again in 2015. To me it is not clear what I should be stating in I-b as the status on the I-94 record only shows entry (which still is J-1), but the history also has a “Departed” entry. Hence, to me it is unclear whether my status actually changed on departure.

    Furthermore, is the 2013 example that can be found here still applicable to scholars:
    https://world.utexas.edu/io/forms/isss/f8843_scholar.pdf
    Especially the contact (Dr. Teri Albrecht) information for the 8843. I assume I need the ISSS contact here regardless who was supervising my work at the UT (in my case Dr. Hebner at the CEM)

    At Juliana: I guess the days on the B2 visa count as the information on page three states “You meet this test if you were physically present in the United States for at least”. But for me the same applies as I was in the US before using the VWP.

    Thanks so much in advance
    Gerwin

    • Hi Gerwin,

      Unless you changed your status (i.e. student to scholar) it is my understanding that your status does not change in 1b. in the instance that you left the U.S. and then came back. You can simply list your status here (J-1).

      You are welcome to list our Director’s name as your contact but your supervisor works also. Our example lists the International Office Director because it works for all students.

      Technically the days you were on a B-2 visa do not need to be listed because they are not being excluded from the substantial presence test.

      Best wishes,
      Genevieve

  30. Hi Genevieve,

    I’ve been in the states for more than 10 years but there was a gap year when I was living overseas (2013 to be exact). Right now I am in confusion as I don’t know what forms I need to file, the form 8843 or 1140 or both. I worked in 2015 on campus so the income was pretty low (lower than $4,000. I want to know what forms I need to use for tax return and also, I am not sure if I filed any tax forms before, is there anywhere I could check it? Thank you

    • Hi Chris,

      As a general rule of thumb, you are a resident alien for tax purposes after 5 years in the U.S., so you should no longer need to fill out the form 8843 and you are eligible to file resident alien taxes (i.e. 1040). It is my understanding that you are not required to file taxes if your total income is under the personal exemption amount ($4000 for 2015) but I do not have any formal training on resident alien taxes and I recommend you check out the IRS free file for resources:
      https://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free

      Best wishes,
      Genevieve

  31. Hello,

    Is the deadline april 18th for 1040NR-EZ file related to the date when I mail it or the date that they receive my files?

    Thanks!!

  32. Im am an international student f1 visa.i have no incomes…am i resident for tax purposes? Why and how filing the form 8843 is important and will affect me or my status?

    • Hello Judith,

      All nonresident aliens for tax purposes should file the form 8843, even if you have no income. As a general rule of thumb, international students on F or J visas are nonresident aliens for 5 tax years and should file the form 8843 during these years.

      This form is a declaration of tax status and is good to file because it shows compliance with U.S. tax laws.

      Best wishes,
      Genevieve

      • I’d like to ask a follow-up to that question. I left the US in the summer of 2015 (I had an F1 visa from 2010-2015) and had no income in 2015. Do I need to submit form 8843 for 2015?

    • Hello Ibiere,

      If you are filing a 2015 Form 1040NR or Form 1040NR-EZ, attach Form 8843 to it. Mail your tax return by the due date(including extensions) to the address shown in your tax return instructions. If you do not have to file a 2015 tax return, mail Form 8843 to:

      The Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service Center, Austin, TX 73301-0215

      Best wishes,
      Genevieve

  34. HI I am a unpaid J1. No income. Form 8843 is sent to IRS. Should I hear back from them. How would I know if they even got my form. Thank you

  35. I am a student with visa F1 and I filled out Form 8843 on March and I sent it to The Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service Center, Austin, TX 73301-0215. I haven’t heard from them yet and I don’t know how to check my status. Thank you

    • Dear Tom,

      You will not receive any notification that your 8843 has been received. You might be able to call the IRS International Taxpayer number (267-941-1000) for confirmation but I cannot verify this. If you decide to call the IRS and they notify you of your 8843 receipt, feel free to post on this thread for the other students.

      Kind regards,
      Genevieve

  36. Hello,
    I was in high school for 3 years and went to college for 4 years. I was in USA for about 7 years total. Will I be considered a resident for tax purposes on my 6th year?
    I didn’t know anything so I didn’t file form 8843 during high school year. I started filing when I started college.

Social Widgets powered by AB-WebLog.com.

×