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Tax information for foreigners

Tax advice can only be given by legally trained people. Furthermore, the tax legislation often changes. However, foreigners coming in the US for reasons other than tourism should check whether they have any tax obligations even if they have no revenue. Failure to comply with tax legislation can complicate latter dealings with the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The general deadline for filing is April 15 (of the year following the year when reported incomes were earned - in certain cases, extension can be obtained).

There are a certain number of publications from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that are pertinent for foreigners, mainly publication 519 (U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens), and Publication 901 (U.S. Tax Treaties). In general, all IRS publications are accessible online.

Foreigners working for large research institutions often have the opportunity to follow tax workshops. For instance, the Service for International Scholars in UC Berkeley, the Foreign Visitors Office in the Lawrence Berkeley Lab, and the Office of Foreign Scholar Services in Stanford give tax information workshops during the months before the tax return due date.

Submitted by: Claudio Fleiner