Get Help Filing a Nonresident Return

International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) resources to assist international students and scholars meet their tax obligations in the United States.

Resources for Filing Your Taxes

The tax filing deadline for 2024 tax returns is April 15, 2025. 

• You will have access to Sprintax which you can use free of charge with a unique code provided by ISSS. You must log in to myIO to access the UT Austin code.
• You can attend one of the many Sprintax Webinars or watch informational videos on the Sprintax YouTube channel.
• Sprintax provides an online assistance icon on each page of the software that is available 24/7.
• Email Sprintax helpdesk at hello@sprintax.com.
• Find answers to frequently asked tax questions in the UT Austin AskUs database.

ISSS staff are not tax professionals or certified public accountants. For professional advice, please consult with a licensed tax professional with experience in nonresident taxes or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Need Further Tax Help?

During tax season ISSS can answer basic tax questions such as explaining what tax forms are used for, where to go for your UT Austin W-2 or 1042-S questions, etc. For questions of this nature you may reach out to us at intltax@austin.utexas.edu for assistance. Response time is 5 business days during tax season.

ISSS staff are not tax professionals or certified public accountants and cannot assist with the following types of issues:

• Determining tax residency
• Determining tax treaty eligibility
• Explaining why you owe taxes
• How to complete Form W-4

For professional advice, please consult volunteers at an IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site in the Austin area, an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center, or a certified tax professional with experience in nonresident taxes.

Commonly Used Forms for Nonresidents

• Form 8843

  Must be completed by all F and J visa holders, regardless of whether or not U.S. income was earned.

  • Form 8843 (PDF)
  • Form 8843 student example (PDF)
  • Form 8843 scholar example (PDF)
• Form 843

  Required to request a refund of Social Security and Medicare Taxes.

  • Form 843 (PDF)
  • Form 843 example (PDF)
• Form 8316

  Required to request a refund of Social Security and Medicare Taxes and must be submitted with Form 843.

  • Form 8316 (PDF)
  • Form 8316 example (PDF)
• Form 1040X

  Used to file an amendment of a previous year's tax return.

  • Form 1040X (PDF)
  • Form 1040x instructions (PDF)
• Form 4868

  Used to ask for an extension to file taxes after the April 15 tax deadline.

  • Form 4868 (PDF)
• Form 1040 NR
  • Form 1040NR (PDF)
  • Form 1040NR instructions (PDF)

Amended/Prior Year Tax Appointments

ISSS is unable to assist with amended taxes and have limited support for prior year tax returns.

Nonresident aliens for tax purposes who have failed to file a prior year tax return may have options on GLACIER Tax Prep or Sprintax. You will be able to access blank tax forms to fill out on your own or purchase access to GLACIER Tax Prep or Sprintax prior year software to help fill out the forms.