International Students: Income Tax Information

Any Pomona College Financial Aid that exceeds the cost of tuition, fees, and other required classroom expenses (e.g., books, lab fee, etc.) is taxable income. Information on this income is reported to you on a 1042-S form which will be sent to your on-campus address by U.S. mail, usually in February.

Pay that you have received from an on-campus job is taxable income. This income is reported on a W-2 form which you will access through Workday after January 30^th of each year.

Funding or a stipend from the Career Development Office received while participating in an unpaid internship to assist you with travel, housing and/or food expenses is taxable income. This income is also reported on a 1042-S form and may be combined with scholarship income if you have both.

Payment that you’ve received while working off campus is taxable income. If you were placed on a payroll and taxes were withheld, this income will be reported on a W-2. If you were paid a stipend or a lump sum from which there was no withholding, it will be reported on either a 1099-MISC or a 1042-S from that employer.

Other types of taxable income include royalties, honorariums, financial prizes from competitions, etc. For this type of income, sometimes the payer has withheld taxes, sometimes not. The payer may or may not provide you a reporting form like a 1099-Misc. Regardless of whether you receive a reporting form, you are still required to report the income on your tax return and pay any resulting taxes.

Sprintax Calculus is what Pomona uses to create tax forms for you. You will receive a login for Sprintax Calculus from Pomona College’s Finance Office. After logging in, you will be prompted to upload documents that will help the College calculate and issue the proper tax forms for you.

Note that failure to upload accurate documents each fall semester will result in incorrect tax documentation. You will receive email reminders to upload new documents from Sprintax Calculus.

Sprintax Returns is the software you will use to prepare you annual tax returns. Separate login information for Sprintax Returns is sent via email in early spring semester.

The base fee for filing your federal tax return will be covered by the College. Further instructions on how that is covered will be provided by the ISSS Office via email. You will be charged individually for California tax filings, other state tax filings, and any other services you wish to add.

These documents typically include the following:

• Passport
• Visa/Immigration information, including your I-20 (if in F-1 status) or DS-2019 (for J-1 status)
• Social Security or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (if you have one)
  • This isn’t needed if you’ve had no income and the 8843 is the only form you have to file
• W-2
  • This form reports your wage earnings if you worked. If you had more than one employer, you should get a W-2 from each employer. It is issued by the end of January for the previous year. Make sure all employers from last year have an up-to-date address for you.
• 1042-S
  • This form is used to report:
    • Stipend, scholarship, fellowship income and travel grants (not tuition reduction or exemption)
    • Income covered by a tax treaty
    • Payment for other types of services (e.g. by the semester as a note-taker).
  • If you received this type of income, the 1042-S will be mailed to you by 15 March by the payer.
• US entry and exit dates for current and past visits to the US
  • You can review your US travel history on the same page where you retrieve your I-94.
• Form 1099
  • This form reports miscellaneous income. Can be interest on bank accounts, stocks, bonds, dividends, earning through freelance employment.

If you haven’t already, create a Sprintax account. You will receive an email from the ISSS Office providing you with a link to Sprintax to set up your account as well as the discount code to use on Sprintax. This code will cover the costs of the federal tax return and 8843 at no cost to you.

Open your new Sprintax account by creating a User ID and password or if you have an existing account on Sprintax you can login using your existing credentials.

If you did not earn any U.S. Income: Sprintax will generate a completed Form 8843 for you and each of your dependents (if you have any).

If you did earn US Income: Sprintax will generate your “tax return documents”, including form 1040NR, depending on your circumstances.

After you finish your federal return, Sprintax will inform you if you need to complete a state tax return. If so, you will have the option to use Sprintax to file your state tax for an additional fee. It is your choice to use them or to file the state tax return on your own.

You may be able to e-file your Federal tax return directly to the IRS through Sprintax if you are eligible to do so. If not, remember to read the mailing instructions that Sprintax provides. If you have dependents, each one must mail their 8843 in a separate envelope.

You will still need to print, sign and mail your state tax return if applicable.