Sprintax Returns software for the 2024 Tax Season (for calendar year 2023) is now available! To access Sprintax Returns click here.
MIT Tax Workshops 2024, for income tax filings for the 2023 calendar year, have been announced. Recordings of these workshops are also available at this link.
Aliens temporarily present in the United States as students, trainees, scholars, teachers, researchers, exchange visitors, and cultural exchange visitors are subject to special rules with respect to the taxation of their income.
All students who are on an F or J immigration status and were physically in the U.S. during the previous calendar year (January 1-December 31) must file at least one U.S. federal income tax return document to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (www.irs.gov) for the tax year. Please note that when filing an income tax return you are filing in April for the previous calendar year; for example, income tax returns for the 2022 calendar year must be filed generally by April 15, 2023 (though the IRS will verify each year as to the specific filing deadlines based on day of the week and any federal or state holidays). Please see this article from IRS about international students.
ISO Tax Information/Resource Email — March 1, 2024
The Federal income tax return filing deadline for the 2023 calendar year is April 15, 2024, except for individuals residing in Massachusetts or Maine where the filing deadline will be April 17, 2024 due to the Patriots’ Day/Emancipation Day holidays in those States.
The deadline for filing a Massachusetts State income tax return for the 2023 calendar year will be on April 17, 2024.
Students who have resided in another State during the 2023 calendar year will need to verify the deadline to file State income tax returns with that State’s department of taxation or department of revenue in case it is different from the Federal filing deadline.
Tax Guidance for Non-Resident Aliens
The MIT Office of the Vice President for Finance (VPF), in cooperation with the International Scholars Office (ISchO) and the International Students Office (ISO), created a website for foreign nationals to provide resources and links related to receiving payments from MIT and guidance on income taxes.
The VPF also requires all foreign nationals who receive payments from VPF Payroll to complete certain payroll and tax information on another Sprintax platform called Sprintax Calculus. Sprintax Calculus assists foreign nationals to determine their U.S. tax status and eligibility for U.S. Tax Treaty. Students will update Sprintax Calculus when they first start working on-campus at MIT and then will be reminded to update their profile each year.
For clarification and guidance with the most common Sprintax Calculus issues, the VPF has created a Sprintax Calculus FAQ available here: https://vpf.mit.edu/sprintax-faq
International students and scholars are advised to review the following resources on the MIT Office of the Vice President for Finance Office for details on payments, taxes, and filing annual income tax returns:
*“Tax Guidance for Nonresident Aliens” – generally for International Students who have been in the U.S. for 5 years or less.
*“Tax Guidance for U.S. Residents” – generally for international students who have been in the U.S. for more than 5 years, and all other students including U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, resident students, and scholars.
Students can also find the recordings and slidedecks from the MIT Tax Workshops for the 2023 calendar year tax filings at these sites above.
Tax Software for Non-Resident Aliens
The ISO has purchased a tax software program called Sprintax Returns to use at no cost to all MIT international students through a generous donation by the Kailath International Student Fund.
Sprintax Returns is an Internet-based tax return preparation system that will help F or J visa holders prepare their U.S. Federal income tax return forms, as well as access for a fee to many U.S. State income tax return forms. After going through and answering all questions in Sprintax Returns, the program will prepare the appropriate federal income tax forms for you to print out and an instruction sheet that will tell you where to send the forms. This software can be used by your F-2 or J-2 dependents as well. Remember that ALL F and J holders MUST file U.S. tax forms whether or not they received income during the specific calendar year. Sprintax Returns does not fill out your Massachusetts State income tax return forms, but, for an additional fee, not covered by the ISO, you can have Sprintax Returns assist you in completing your State income tax return forms (for Massachusetts and other states where you lived during the calendar year).
Information on tax software made available for MIT International Scholars (Post-Docs, Faculty, and Researchers) is available here: https://vpf.mit.edu/by-topic/tax-filing/tax-preparation-software
Current MIT International Students can log in to Sprintax Returns here. ** Please note that you must have an MIT Kerberos ID and password to log in to this site.
Alumni and students who attended MIT in the previous tax year and do not have an active Kerberos username may contact their ISO Advisor for a temporary access code.
Tax Workshops
The MIT Office of the Vice President for Finance (VPF), the Office of the Vice-Chancellor (OVC), the International Students Office (ISO), the International Scholars Office (ISchO), and the International Coordinating Committee (ICC) sponsors Tax Workshops for MIT students and scholars, including specific sessions for international students and scholars, annually.
The purpose of these workshops is to provide general guidance to students and international scholars on the process of filing U.S. Federal and Massachusetts State income tax returns. The workshops are not intended to provide individual tax advice.
Tax Workshop for MIT Graduate Students – Thursday, October 10, 2024
When: Thursday, October 10, 2024
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Topics Include:
*Sprintax Calculus and Sprintax Returns
*Whether your payments from MIT are taxable
*Your tax residency status
*Income tax return filing obligations
*Tax withholdings
*Payroll taxes (FICA)
*Tax Treaty benefits
*Q&A Session
A recording of the workshop will be available a few days after the session on the VPF website: https://vpf.mit.edu/tax-workshops Additional resources on tax issues for international students are available on the VPF website here: https://vpf.mit.edu/tax-guidance-for-nonresident-aliens
MIT Tax Workshops (for Tax Year 2023 Filings):
*Nonresident students: Thursday, February 22, 2024, from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – presented by Sprintax and MIT
Recording and slide deck from workshop available here: https://vpf.mit.edu/tax-guidance-for-nonresident-aliens
This workshop is for International Students who have been in the U.S. for 5 years or less.
*Resident students/scholars and US citizens: Thursday, March 7, 2024, from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – presented by MIT VPF
Recording and slide deck from workshop available here: https://vpf.mit.edu/tax-guidance-for-us-residents
This workshop is for international students who have been in the U.S. for more than 5 years, and all other students including U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, resident students, and scholars.
*Nonresident scholars: Wednesday, February 28, 2024, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am – presented by Sprintax and MIT
Recording from workshop available here.
This workshop is for International Scholars (postdocs, international faculty/researchers/instructors, visiting scholars). Contact fumiko@mit.edu in the MIT International Scholars Office (ISchO) if you have questions about this workshop.
The Tax Workshops will be held as online webinars (on Zoom). The Zoom links will be announced soon and available on the VPF webpage here or by clicking on the specific Tax Workshop link above.
Recordings of the sessions will be posted on the VPF webpage within a few days after the workshops.
Recordings and slidedecks from the MIT Tax Workshops for 2023 tax filing season (for calendar year 2023) are available here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Please see the Frequently Asked Questions page on the MIT Vice President for Finance (VPF) Office — https://vpf.mit.edu/tax/faqs
For clarification and guidance with the most common Sprintax Calculus issues, the VPF has created a Sprintax Calculus FAQ available here: https://vpf.mit.edu/sprintax-faq
Tax Resource Links
Please view the Tax Resource links here: https://vpf.mit.edu/by-topic/tax-filing/how-to-get-tax-help
Unfortunately, ISO advisors are not trained in the complexities of the U.S. Tax Code and therefore, cannot advise on tax issues. The ISO will do its best to find tax resources for our students and direct your questions appropriately.
