ISSS-BU News . 20 March 2006. ISSS-BU News
An electronic news service for international students and scholars, owned by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services at Binghamton University, State University of New York
Visit ISSS on the Web! http://isss.binghamton.edu
Editor's Note: According to the calendar, today is the first day of Spring. Well, most likely somewhere other than Binghamton, New York! Although it may take some time for the weather to catch up, in just a few weeks, we will be able to enjoy consistently milder weather. But, we still have to endure some cold days first.
CONTENTS:
1. Please Come to the ISSS to Pick Up Your Health Insurance ID Card
The Spring 2006 ID Cards for the International Student Health Insurance Plan have now arrived in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services. All international students, except for those graduate students with TA, GA or RPA funding, are covered under this health insurance policy.
Please come to the ISSS to pick up your Insurance ID card during our normal business hours. We are located in the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center, Room G-1. Office hours are:
Monday - Wednesday and Friday from 8:30am to 4:00pm
Thursday from 11:30am to 4:00pm.
You will be asked to present your BU ID card when you come to the ISSS.
The ISSS reminds international students to be sure to carry your health insurance card with you. In the event that you have to go to the hospital or see a doctor over a weekend because of a medical emergency, the hospital or clinic will ask you to present your health insurance card. If you do not have the card with you, the hospital or clinic will still provide treatment, but you will then have to give the hospital or clinic full information on health insurance coverage by the following business day.
Also, you may have to pay your own funds for prescription drugs at the hospital pharmacy, rather than have the costs submitted directly by the hospital to the insurance company, if you cannot present proof of insurance.
If you will be traveling during the next Spring break or once the semester ends, it is especially important to have your insurance ID with you.
Your Spring health insurance covers you through August 14, 2006 and the Fall health insurance coverage begins August 15, 2006.
2. Employment Workshop on US Job Interviews Friday, March 24
The fifth in a series of six employment workshops designed exclusively for international students will be held Friday, March 24 at 3:30pm in Career Development Center Workshop Room Library North Ground Floor 307.
Titled: "Presenting Yourself in Person: the US Job Interview" it offers tips to international students for participating in a successful job interview with U.S. employers. Learn what to expect and how to make a good impression. This workshop series is sponsored by the Career Development Center and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.
3. I'm from India. Why Isn't CINTAX Printing My 1099-G State Tax Refund on Line 4 of My Federal Form 1040NR EZ?
A number of students from India who filed a state tax return for calendar year 2004, and who are currently using CINTAX to complete their 2005 income tax returns, are puzzled that CINTAX is not printing their 1099-G refund amount on line 4 of the 1040NR EZ.
It's not a mistake, but the explanation is a bit complicated. F-1 and J-1 students from India who have been in the United States for five or fewer years are able to take a standard deduction on their US income tax forms, as part of the US-India tax treaty. This standard deduction is entered on line 11 of form 1040NR EZ. All other foreign nationals, when completing line 11, must write the amount of any state and local tax withheld as it appears in boxes 17 and 19 of their W-2 forms.
So if you are a student from India, then last year, if you were filing your 2004 1040NR EZ, you reported a standard deduction on line 11, rather than state and local tax withheld. Therefore, since you did not itemize your state and local taxes withheld a year ago on your 2004 federal income tax form, it is not taxable. This means that you are not required to show your 1099-G amount as income on line 4 of the federal form. But, when you fill out the 2005 New York State IT 203, you DO report your 1099G income on line 4 of IT 203. However, you are then able to subtract the same amount on line 24 of the form.
Just another example of how complicated US tax law can be.
4. Last Income Tax Workshop is Next Friday, March 31
The last of a series of International Student Income Tax Seminars for Spring 2006 will be held on Friday, March 31 beginning at 5:00pm in Lecture Hall 8, and will be conducted by Ellen Badger. These workshops are designed for students in F and J status who have been in the U.S. in that status for five years or less (2001 or later). The workshops focus on completing New York State income tax forms for non-residents, since students should use CINTAX to complete your federal income tax forms.
Be sure to bring your CINTAX -completed federal income tax forms, a calculator, your W-2 forms, 1042-S Forms, and Forms 1098 or 1099 with you to the workshop. Please note that not all students will have received all of these forms. Copies of Income Tax Forms and Publications will be available at the workshop.
If you have not yet obtained your CINTAX password, but plan to attend the March 14 workshop, please note that it takes 2 business days to respond to password requests. So, be sure to allow time to obtain a CINTAX password AND complete your federal forms using CINTAX. To request your CINTAX password, see: http://isss.binghamton.edu/taxes/cintax.htm Already, nearly 500 current and former BU international students have obtained a CINTAX password.
5. The Clock is Ticking on Some Practical Training Applications
F-1 students who will be graduating in May 2006 and plan to apply for optional practical training are reminded that they must submit their application paperwork to the ISSS, and then send the processed documents to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) so that it is received at the USCIS before May 21, 2006, which is Binghamton University's degree conferral date for May graduates.
F-1 students who have not yet begun the practical training application process are urged to do so soon so that you will have the best possible opportunity to obtain your employment authorization card in a timely manner. Currently, it is taking the USCIS Vermont Service Center approximately 10 – 12 weeks to process OPT employment authorization applications. Employment cannot begin unless you have the card "in hand."
6. Fall 2006 Schedule of Classes Coming Soon
The Schedule of Classes for Fall 2006 will be available starting March 25 at http://busi.binghamton.edu/schedule.html . The online schedule is the most up to date and accurate source of course information and is the only published version of the Schedule of Classes.
Early registration for the Fall 2006 semester will begin April 5, 2005 and run until May 9. 2006. More information on early registration will be published in the next issue of ISSS-BU News .
7. Will Your I-20 or DS-2019 Expire Soon?
The Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) sent out e-mail messages last week to all currently registered degree students whose most recent SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019 will expire in May or during the summer. Exchange students whose programs end in May were not included in this mailing. Do not let your I-20 or DS-2019 expire if you will be continuing at Binghamton beyond the form's expiration date! If you have questions, please come to the ISSS.
8. President Bush Discusses U.S. Universities and Students From India
In a speech given on March 3, 2006 at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, President Bush called for greater accessibility for Indian students to attend U.S. universities, saying personal experiences of life in the United States will help them erase inaccurate perceptions, both good and bad.
For more information about the President's visit, and to read a transcript of his speech, visit:
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=March&x=20060303085507eaifas0.6019403&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
9. Income Tax Information: Information for F-1 and J-1s in the U.S. for More than Five Years
Until now, all of ISSS-BU's income tax articles have focused on F-1 and J-1 students who are non- residents for tax purposes; those who have been in F or J status for five years or less. Today's tax tip is for those F-1 and J-1 students who entered the U.S. in 2000 or earlier, and therefore file as residents for tax purposes.
Need assistance with your resident tax forms? There are a number of paid preparers in the local community who can assist you. Free assistance with resident tax forms is offered through the VITA volunteer program at the Broome County Public Library, 185 Court Street in downtown Binghamton. The hours are: (walk-in or by appointment) Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10am to 2pm and Wednesdays, 10am to 6pm. Call 607-778-6400 to confirm these times. The library is closed on Sundays. The volunteers at the Broome County Library are NOT trained to assist with non-resident tax matters.
There is also free e-filing for resident tax payers, available through both the IRS and NYS tax. Visit: http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/efile/article/0,,id=118986,00.html
and http://www.tax.state.ny.us/elf/individual.htm
If you have been in F-1 or J-1 status for more than five years, you need to file form 1040, or its shorter versions; 1040A or 1040EZ. Residents with income should also file New York State tax form IT-150 and IT-2. Residents for tax purposes must report all world-wide income, including bank interest. However, residents for tax purposes can also list spouses and children as dependents, and therefore claim a greater number of exemptions and deductions.
In addition to the personal exemption of $3200, residents for tax purposes can also claim the standard deduction, which for a single person is $5000 for tax year 2005! Residents may also claim certain tax credits, if they meet the eligibility requirements. These credits include child care, earned income, and education credits. Graduate students who are eligible to file as residents for tax purposes may be especially interested in the lifelong learning education credit.
For more information on education credits, obtain IRS publication 970 "Tax Benefits for Higher Education." It can be found on the World Wide Web at the IRS Forms and Publications site; click on http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/formspubs/lists/0,,id=97819,00.html scroll down the screen, and once you see the forms list in the box, keep scrolling until you reach Publication 970.
Remember that these benefits are only available to F-1 and J-1 students who have been in the U.S. in those statuses for MORE than five years.ISSS-BU is a listserv owned and managed by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, Division of Student Affairs, at the State University of New York at Binghamton. It is the publisher of ISSS-BU News . Permission is granted to freely distribute the information posted to this list as long as its contents remain unchanged.
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