It’s Time to File Taxes!

It's time to file your 2019 tax return!

The tax filing season for 2019 is here! Please read below for more information about your tax filing obligations and free tax assistance.

The following Tax Workshops have been scheduled to help you with your tax questions:

• Tuesday, February 18, 1:30pm: Cabot Hall, Room 205 (Medford/Fletcher Campus)
• Monday, February 24, 11:00am: Posner Auditorium (Boston Campus)
• Wednesday, March 11, 12:00pm: Live Webinar hosted by Sprintax (More information to follow! Available to students/scholars from any campus.)

Dear international students and scholars,

It’s important to be aware that, as a non-resident student in the US, you’re legally required to file a tax form (8843) even if you didn’t work or receive income in the US if you were present in the US during the calendar year 2019.

And, if you earned income in the US in 2019, you must also file a Federal Tax Return and, in some cases, a State Tax Return.

Tufts University is providing free access to Sprintax Tax Preparation for you to file your Form 8843 and/or Federal Tax Return. Sprintax will guide you through the tax preparation process, arrange the necessary documents, and check if you’re due a tax refund. Sprintax can also determine if you have any obligation to file a state tax return and, if so, can prepare it for you for an additional fee.

Sprintax was used by over 165,000 international students and scholars last year, and the average Federal refund received by eligible students was over $1,087.

All you need to do is:

1. Review the attached information to prepare you for filing your tax paperwork
2. Register and follow the simple instructions
3. Complete the online questionnaire
4. Enter your unique code [this code was sent to your Tufts email on February 13, 2020 from the International Center] in the box on the ‘Review your order’ page to remove the fee for Federal tax filing
5. Sprintax will prepare your tax return
6. Finally, once you complete the preparation process in the Sprintax software, you must print, sign and mail your documents to the IRS.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE SPRINTAX WEB SITE

If you have any questions, the Sprintax team will be happy to help via their 24/7 live chat facility. Also consult this Sprintax_2019 guide.

*Please Be Aware*:

• Sprintax can only prepare tax returns for students and scholars who are considered non-residents for tax purposes by the IRS. Generally, students are considered non-residents for their first five calendar years in the US, and scholars are considered non-residents for their first two calendar years in the US. If you are not sure if you are considered a resident or non-resident for tax purposes, do not worry! You can enter your information in Sprintax for free to determine your tax residency status. If you are found to be a resident for tax purposes, you may use any tax-filing software or accountant available to US residents: https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free. *

*Those determined to be non-residents should not use any software other than Sprintax, to avoid misfiling as a resident.**

• IMPORTANT!: If you worked on campus during 2019, please be sure to download your Form W-2 from Tufts eServe: https://access.tufts.edu/eserve. You will need it to file your tax return. Additionally, if you have received a scholarship for room and board or a stipend for living expenses from Tufts University, or if you had income that was tax-exempt due to a tax treaty with your country of residence, you cannot file your tax return until you receive Form 1042-S from Tufts Student Services. 1042-S Forms will be available by March 15, 2020. You will receive an email in the next few weeks with log-in information to access your Form 1042-S if you are due one.
• The Tufts University code for Sprintax covers only the fee for filing a Federal Tax Return and/or Form 8843. Sprintax can determine if you must also file a State Tax Return and, if so, can prepare it for you for an additional fee. If you do not wish to use Sprintax for filing the State Tax Return, you may file separately on your own, while still using Sprintax for filing your Federal taxes for free.
• Have any questions or concerns about filing taxes as a non-resident student or scholar? Check out our tax-filing website for more details, and  Please join us at one of our Tax Workshop Sessions as indicated above.