WSU’s Global Services presented a workshop on Thursday at the Spark to help international students possessing an F1 or J1 visa type to file their 2019 taxes.

The purpose of filing a tax return is to report all sources of income to the government which includes what has already been paid and what is still owed. Tax returns are also an opportunity to claim deductions or exemptions an individual may qualify for. 

At the end of the process, the total amount paid is calculated. If an individual pays more than what is owed during the year, they get a refund. On the other hand, if enough is not paid, the individual must pay the difference.

All international students must file Form 8843, even if they did not earn any money in the U.S.

Sprintax is a software designed for international students and non-residents to help file their taxes in the United States. Sprintax is the only online federal and state self-prep tax software for non-residents in the U.S.

International students can access Sprintax at https://mypassport.wsu.edu/ and will be given a unique code to access their account.

Sprintax users are required to create an account with the unique code provided by WSU. This is because the university has paid for certain premium features of Sprintax which are accessible to students.

Sprintax will then require students to submit certain documentation such as the 1-94 form which can be retrieved through the website: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home. 

All forms of income should be submitted and documented. International students who worked on campus will be emailed their W2 form, which will be used to file their 2019 taxes.

For international students who do not possess an SSN, Sprintax will request an ITIN or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number on behalf of the student to help file their taxes from the IRS.

Sprintax will then require international students to answer a series of questions about their visa status and their expenses throughout the 2019 financial year.

After all documentation is provided, Sprintax will create a tax return form for the student and that document should be sent by postal mail to the IRS office.