ISSS News 12 February 2007

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

Editor's Note: Wednesday is Valentine's Day in the United States, and in several other countries around the world. To learn more about the history of Valentine's Day, visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_day

The ISSS reports that 2006 income tax forms should be available for distribution in seven to ten days. There are still some forms that have not arrived. There will be an announcement sent by e-mail as soon as all of the forms are ready. If you are using CINTAX tax preparation software, CINTAX will print the required federal forms for you, so you do not have to obtain those forms from the ISSS.

1. Spring 2007 Employment Workshop Series for International Students Continues Friday, February 16

Get the answers to your questions on employment regulations as part of a series of six workshops taking place this Spring.

The third workshop in the series is titled: Work Rules: What You Need to Know About Immigration Regulations If You Are in F -1 or J-1 Status and Want to be Employed

It will take place on Friday, February 16 at 3:30pm in Lecture Hall 5. Karen Keefe-Guzikowski, Assistant Director of the ISSS and Amelia Shafer, International Student Advisor, will take you through a Power Point presentation on employment regulations. This workshop will emphasize practical training (F-1) and academic training (J-1) for students seeking summer work authorization or work authorization after graduation.

Looking for an easy way to keep track of upcoming ISSS employment workshops? You'll find them posted them on the ISSS website! The direct link is: http://isss.binghamton.edu/emp/Emp_WS.html or go to http://isss.binghamton.edu and click on "Employment," then scroll down to: "This semester's Employment Workshops."

The workshops are sponsored by the Career Development Center and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.

2. Celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival by Attending Asian Spring on February 18

Last week's edition of ISSS-BU News featured an announcement of the Chinese Student and Scholar Association's Chinese Spring Festival Dinner Party on February 17 th . You can read that announcement at:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/news/isssbu2007/Feb052007.html
We now have a second Spring Festival celebration to share with you.

The Binghamton University Asian Art Troupe will celebrate Spring Festival with Asian Spring , a Sunday afternoon of Chinese music, dance and traditional instruments, to be held from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, February 18, in the Osterhout Concert Theater. Performers will include pipa player Zhou Yi, as well as faculty member Hong Zhang and the Southern Tier Chinese Cultural Association sword dancers. The pageant is sponsored by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association of Binghamton University and the Southern Tier Chinese Culture Association of Binghamton. Admission is $12 for the public, $10 for faculty, staff and seniors and $7 for students. Tickets are on sale at the Anderson Center Box Office, by calling 607-777-ARTS and online at <http://anderson.binghamton.edu/tickets.htm> .

For additional information, contact Dr. Paul Blythe, Manager of Asian Spring, at pblythe@binghamton.edu

U.S. income tax law is very confusing (even more confusing than immigration law!). This is why the Office of International Student and Scholar Services has purchased the CINTAX tax preparation software for use by international students and scholars. With the availability of CINTAX , the focus of the yearly income tax workshops is on how to file New York State tax forms. The workshops will not address filing federal income tax forms. If you plan to take part in the income tax workshops, it's important for you to have already filled out your federal income tax forms using CINTAX , and have a copy of your completed federal forms in hand.

In the past, starting in late February, the ISSS offered a series of three workshops for F and J students, and one workshop exclusively for J scholars. Although the workshops were very well-attended, there was feedback that the dates and times of the workshops were not always convenient for all students. This year, the ISSS is experimenting with a new format for the tax workshops. The ISSS plans to offer the workshop on-line via the ISSS website. The workshop will be recorded, and will be able to be accessed 24/7 via the web from any computer with an internet browser and “Real Player” installed. A free version of “Real Player” can be downloaded from http://www.real.com Then follow the links for the free download. New technology has become available at the University within the past year that makes this on-line workshop format possible. The ISSS believes that this will be a great help for current and former students who are not presently in Binghamton, and hopes to announce the availability of the workshop before the end of February.

The workshop will be for F and J students who have been in the United States in F or J status 5 years or less (since 2002 or later). Students who were employed during the 2006 calendar year should have received a W-2 Form (Wage and Tax Statement) from their employer(s). By law, employers must send out W-2 forms to their employees no later than January 31. If you had more than one employer, you should receive a W-2 form from each. These forms are usually in three or four parts. One copy is for the employee, one copy is filed with the U.S. federal tax return, and one copy is filed with certain state tax returns.

The W-2 form contains very important information that you will need when you prepare your income tax forms.

International students and scholars in F and J status must file income tax forms each year, even those who were not employed.

4. Delta Airlines to Start Service Between NYC Kennedy Airport and Binghamton Beginning May 2007

Delta Airlines has announced that it will offer two flights a day between New York City's Kennedy Airport (JFK) and Binghamton Regional Airport beginning May 8. With this new schedule, Delta will reduce its flights between Atlanta and Binghamton to just one per day.

Introductory fares for travel between Greater Binghamton and JFK are available at http://www.delta.com for $99 one way, based on a round-trip purchase. The tickets must be bought by Feb. 23 with travel completed by June 30. Other restrictions apply.

Currently, the times for the flights from Binghamton to JFK are listed as 6:20am and 3:00pm. The flights from JFK to Binghamton are listed as 9:15am and 6:40pm. This information is subject to change. Check with http://www.delta.com for details.

Federal regulations exact heavy penalties for those students in F and J status who work off campus without authorization. The ISSS reminds all F and J students that all off-campus employment must be authorized before it can begin . This includes internships, curricular practical training, and other types of off-campus experiences, whether or not you are receiving college credit for it.

Recently, several BU international students attempted to begin their curricular practical training before the required authorization had been issued. These students had to immediately stop working and their actions put their immigration status at great risk.

To work off-campus without the appropriate authorization is considered illegal employment according to federal immigration law and is a potentially deportable offense. SEVIS regulations require that all unauthorized employment be reported. So, now more than ever, it's essential for international students to understand the off-campus employment rules that pertain to them.

Special Note: International students who are employed off-campus as part of a cooperative arrangement with their academic department AND are paid by either the State or SUNY Research Foundation payroll under the terms of a GA or RA stipend are considered to be authorized for this employment. The SPIR program is an example of this kind of cooperative arrangement.

Definition:
"The term employee means an individual who provides services or labor for an employer for wages or other remuneration." 8 CFR 274a.1(f)

Compensation means something is given to you because you provided a service. It can be a paycheck, a bonus payment, a stipend, or it can be meal vouchers, room and board, or payment of your travel costs. Any of these would be considered to be compensation under federal regulations. Simply put, if you receive anything for providing a service you are being compensated.

Volunteering is defined as engaging in an activity that anyone (US citizen or citizen of another country) would engage in without expectation of compensation, monetary or otherwise, for the service provided.

Complete information on all of the different employment categories for F and J students can be found by visiting the ISSS website at http://isss.binghamton.edu and clicking on "employment." If you are unsure if an activity would be considered employment, ask the ISSS!! And, attend the “Work Rules” workshop scheduled for February 16!

The ISSS has received some excellent questions from students who have started to use CINTAX. Since the answers may be of interest to our readers, we are presenting edited versions of those questions below.

Question
I thought I could fill and send income tax forms on line. Do I have to come to the ISSS? Why should I use CINTAX if I need to come to the ISSS?

Answer
Non-resident income tax forms (for those in F or J status for five or fewer years, since 2002 or later) cannot be filed on-line. The U.S. government offers the on-line filing option for resident tax payers only. CINTAX computes your tax liability, pre-fills the required federal income tax forms, allows you to print the forms for mailing, and provides instructions for mailing the forms. The ISSS will have the paper versions of the non-resident income tax forms available, for both federal and New York State filing. But, if you use CINTAX, you will not need the paper forms. Plus, CINTAX does all the tax computations for you.

Question
I did register for CINTAX , but I don't understand what CINTAX is. How will CINTAX help me submit the required tax forms. Do I need to pay to use CINTAX ? Can I just submit my tax forms myself?

Answer
CINTAX is a non-resident tax preparation software that is used by students and scholars at hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States. Binghamton University purchases a license each year so that BU international students who are eligible to file as non-residents can comply with their income tax obligations. CINTAX is offered to BU international students and scholars for free , and removes much of the complexity of completing income tax forms by taking the income tax information you provide and doing all the work for you. While you can attempt to complete your income tax forms yourself, most students find it to be a very complicated process and appreciate the convenience of using CINTAX.

Question
Last semester I received a tuition scholarship as part of my funding as a graduate assistant. Will I receive a form 1042-S for the tuition scholarship? Do I need to report the tuition scholarship as income on my tax return?

Answer
Tuition scholarships are neither taxable nor reportable as income. So, you do not report your tuition scholarship as income, nor will you receive any tax form for your tuition scholarship. At Binghamton University, students do not receive a tuition scholarship as income. Instead, it is listed as a credit on your student semester bill.

Question
I am a research assistant and I filled my taxes for 2006 using CINTAX software. The calculated tax that I have to pay is $256.00. Why do I need to pay more federal tax when such tax was already withheld from my paycheck?

Answer
There may be several reasons why a student may owe additional income tax. If the student is from a country that has no tax treaty with the United States, then depending upon the amount of money earned, the student may owe additional tax. Or, if too little tax was withheld from a student's earnings during the year, the student may owe tax. Lastly, if a portion of a student's earnings came from income that was not taxed at all, then taxes may now be due on that portion of earnings that were not taxed at the source.

Students who have already obtained a CINTAX password and are using the product and find that they have technical questions are encouraged to write to the CINTAX help desk at support@cintax.us Replies are usually received within 48 hours..

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