International Student Taxes

International students, scholars, and their dependents (regardless of age) are required to file taxes if they were in the U.S. during the previous calendar year to fulfill visa obligations. Federal and State returns must be filed on or before April 15.

If an international student or scholar did not receive any source of income they need to file Form 8843.
If the international student or scholar did receive income in the last calendar year then they would need to file Form 8843 and most likely Form 1040NR-EZ
Dependents (including spouses and children of all ages) are also required to file Form 8843 if they were in the US during the previous calendar year.
every individual, regardless of whether they are one family, will need to file their own Form 8843 and sent it to the appropriate address included on the tax form or tax form instructions in a separate envelope.

Tax filing can be very complicated; students are encouraged to contact a professional tax accountant for help preparing their tax documents.

List of tax resources

Tax filing will require students to complete four steps:

Determine U.S. residency status
Determine tax filing requirements
Identify deductions or allowances
Complete and send applicable forms

List of available forms for filing

Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)

An ITIN is to provide identification for tax filing purposes only. It is not a form of identification for any office outside of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It is only an option for students who cannot receive an SSN. Students who have an SSN are not eligible for an ITIN. For an international student, an ITIN is most needed for the spouse and/or children of a student filing taxes who has received an SSN.
To apply for an ITIN, students will need to have the following: