ISSS-BU News . 29 January 2007. 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: The Office of International Student and Scholar Services plans to announce the availability of CINTAX income tax software very soon. This web-based software product will make it very easy for international students to fulfill their U.S. Federal income tax filing obligations for calendar year 2006. Watch for an e-mail message this week. Once ISSS receives its supply of income tax forms, an announcement will be posted in ISSS-BU News . An Income Tax Workshop Schedule is still in the process of being developed. Watch ISSS-BU News for the announcement.
Also, please read the very important information about Income Tax Filing (article 9)
CONTENTS:
1. Welcome New International Students to ISSS-BU News
We are pleased to welcome our Spring 2007 new student subscribers to ISSS-BU News . Each Monday, ISSS-BU News brings you information regarding immigration and other U.S. federal regulations, announcements, and employment opportunities.
The best way to read ISSS-BU News is to first scan the “contents” section for articles of interest to you.
2. International Spouse Program (ISP) English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes Have Begun
The International Spouse Program ESL classes for the Spring 2007 Semester have begun. For more information, contact Amelia Shafer, International Student Advisor of ISSS at ashafer@binghamton.edu
3. Special Program to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 29
Binghamton University will honor the memory of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 29 when former Civil Rights Commissioner Mary Frances Berry delivers a lecture at 7:30 p.m. in the University Union Mandela Room. For more information, call the Multicultural Resource Center at 777-4472.
4. Employment News and Upcoming Workshops From the Career Development Center
The Career Development Center (CDC) has many new announcements for students! Visit their website at http://cdc.binghamton.edu While you're there, take a look at the Programs & Events section to learn more about what the CDC will be offering this semester.
The annual Internship & Job Fair will be held Thursday, February 8 th from 11:00am to 3:30pm in the University Union Mandela Room and Old Union Hall. Over 75 organizations will be present to discuss internship & job opportunities. Non-Profit, Government, and For-Profit organizations will all be in attendance. Visit the CDC website for a list of participating organizations . This fair is for ALL BU students!
To prepare international students for the Fair, the Career Development Center, in co-sponsorship with the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, will offer a special workshop titled “Preparing for a Job Fair ,” on Friday, February 2, 2007 at 2:00pm in the CDC Workshop Room, Library North Ground Floor Room G-307. Please note that this is a special time and location for international students only. A similar session for all other students will be offered the same day at 3:30pm in a different location.
As always, CDC encourages all students to register with eRecruiting , their online career system. There are currently numerous post-graduation opportunities and Internships listed. New positions are added daily. In addition, eRecruiting hosts a wealth of career exploration information.
5. Next International Coffee Hour is Friday, February 2 With Co-Host European Student Association
Good company! Free food! An opportunity to visit with friends and classmates!
This month's International Coffee Hour will be held on Friday, February 2 from 3:30-5:00pm in University Union Room 133. Please note the room change! This month, the European Student Association (ESA) is the co-host and will have a table reserved for their members. This is a great occasion for both new and continuing European students to renew acquaintances and meet new students, and for all international students, both new and continuing, to enjoy food and beverages in a relaxing atmosphere. ESA hopes to see everyone there!
The Coffee Hour strives to be a space where the entire Binghamton University community, including international students, U.S. students, faculty/staff, and community members are welcome. The coffee hours are informal and provide an opportunity to meet and learn more about each other in a relaxed atmosphere. Each coffee hour has free hot and cold beverages and cookies, sponsored by a different department on campus.
6. Do You Speak Cantonese, French, Hebrew, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, and/or Spanish? LxC WANTS YOU!
The Languages Across the Curriculum Program is now accepting applications for the position of Language Resource Specialist (LRS) for the Spring 2007 semester. Interviews for this position will take place during the second week of the semester. All applications should be submitted to the Languages Across the Curriculum office no later than February 1st, 2007 . Pick up an application at Languages Across the Curriculum offices in Hinman 209-210, OR print one from our web site: http://lxc.binghamton.edu/jobs.html
Job description : LRSs assist students in understanding the assigned foreign-language materials and in relating them to course content. Discussion is conducted in the foreign language or English depending on the ability of the students. LRSs provide individual assessment for assignments. LRSs also benefit both financially and professionally through mandatory training that provides guidance and assistance in identifying and utilizing LxC materials.
Note: This is not an assistantship.
Pay begins at $8/hr and LRSs work 5-10 hours per week. Weekly study group meetings led by each LRS begin in the 5th week of classes, scheduled at the convenience of the LRS and his/her students.
7. Upcoming Job Fair in NYC for Japanese-English Bilinguals
An upcoming job fair for Japanese-English bilingual students, the New York Career Forum, is just a month away.
Event: New York Career Forum
Date: Friday, February 23 rd and Saturday, February 24 th , 2007
Place: Penn Plaza Pavilion Exhibition Hall (Hotel Pennsylvania)
401 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
The job fair is for
- all Japanese-English bilinguals
- all majors (both technical and non-technical)
- anyone interested in a full-time or internship position
Companies will be holding interviews at their booth during the event. We encourage students to register early and apply to companies online prior to the event to receive maximum results. Registration and attending the event is free.
Travel Scholarships are available to help defray the cost of traveling, and students can easily apply online through the website of the sponsor, Disco International, at: http://www.careerforum.net/event/ny/index.asp?lang=E
This link is also the site for on-line registration and additional information. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at cfn@careerforum.net
8. Summer 2007 On-Campus Employment Opportunity for Undergraduates
The Office of Campus Life is in the process of a campus-wide search for undergraduate Orientation Advisors (OAS) for the 2007 Summer Orientation Program. Orientation Advisors play an integral role in helping new students and their families adjust to the University and surrounding community.
The applications may be picked up in the Office of Campus Life anytime between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm, or on the orientation website at http://orientation.binghamton.edu . The application deadline is Friday, February 23, 2007.
Informational meetings are Thursday, February 1st from 6pm-7pm in the University Union East Lounge and Monday, February 5th from 5pm-6pm in the University Union East Lounge.
Undergraduate international students must be maintaining valid non-immigrant status and be eligible to work on-campus in order to apply for these positions.
9. Income Tax Information: WAIT! Don't File your Tax Forms Too Soon!
Many international students have begun to receive their W-2 forms and other tax forms, and are anxious to file their income tax returns. This is usually because most students want to determine if they are eligible for a tax refund. If so, they want their money as quickly as possible.
But, before you get to work on your income tax returns, WAIT! You'll avoid mistakes that way. Here's why.
Most International Students Cannot E-File Their Income Tax Returns
Non-resident income tax returns (forms 8843, 1040 NR EZ and 1040 NR ) cannot be e-filed . They must be printed and mailed through the Postal Service.
Most international students in F-1 or J-1 status are non-residents for tax purposes, if they have been in the United States in F-1 or J-1 status for five years or less (2002 or later).
CINTAX , which is the web-based income tax software for non-resident tax filing, is what BU international students who are non-residents for tax purposes should use. It's free, it's an excellent product, and based on the information you provide, it populates the required federal income tax forms, prints them so that you can mail them, and determines whether or not you are eligible for a tax refund.
International Students Who Complete Non-Resident Federal Income Tax Returns Cannot E-File Their New York State Tax Returns
Some students will also need to file a New York State income tax return, either because:
Although New York State strongly encourages e-filing, it can only be used if the federal income tax form is e-filed. Since non-resident federal forms cannot be e-filed, you must fill out the New York State non-resident income tax forms yourself, based on the information printed on your federal non-resident form. CINTAX does not prepare New York State tax forms. Watch ISSS-BU News for information on assistance with filing NYS non-resident income tax forms.
Don't File Your Income Tax Forms Until You Have All of Your W-2s
If you worked for more than one U.S. employer during calendar year 2006 (for example, Sodexho Dining Services and the State of New York) you must wait to file your income tax returns until you have a wage and tax statement (usually a W-2 form, but sometimes a different form) from each employer. If your former employer(s) do not have your current mailing address, you need to contact them and request that the wage and tax statement be sent to you.
If You Will Be Issued Form 1042-S, You Cannot File Your Income Tax Form Until the 1042-S Arrives
Form 1042-S is also known as “Foreign Person's U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding.” This form has multiple purposes. It is used to report Tax Treaty-eligible income, as well as scholarships. By law, form 1042-S may be issued as late as mid-March. If you are the recipient of an athletic scholarship, dissertation year fellowship, or a US sourced scholarship such as a Fulbright or Muskie grant, OR if you worked for the State Payroll or Research Foundation Payroll and were able to claim the benefits of a tax treaty based on wages, a form 1042-S will be issued to you in March. This form is an essential part of your income tax filing. Do not file your income tax form until you have received it.
Getting Help with Your Income Tax Forms
The ISSS is in the process of setting up a schedule for income tax assistance with New York State forms, since all international students and scholars who were non-residents for tax purposes during 2006 can use CINTAX for their federal forms. We will share that information once it is available.
10. Income Tax Information: Significant Change to Federal Filing Rules
With the start of the 2006 income tax filing season comes a very significant change to the federal filing rules. For the first time in many, many years, the location where all federal non-resident forms are filed has changed. The new address is:
Internal Revenue Service Center
Austin, Texas 73301-0215
All forms 8843, 1040NR-EZ and 1040NR are now filed in Austin, Texas. Previously, these forms were sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
11. Income Tax Issues: Incorrectly Withheld Social Security and Medicare Tax
We would like to remind our readers that during tax season, each issue of ISSS-BU News contains an article on U.S. income tax. To reference previous articles, go to the ISSS web site and select from the back issues of ISSS-BU News (the first income tax article appeared in the December 4, 2006 issue). You will find them at: http://isss.binghamton.edu/news/2006.html
Today's income tax article is about incorrectly withheld Social Security (FICA) and Medicare Tax from earnings (wages), and how to get the money refunded to you.
Different kinds of taxes are withheld by employers. The W-2 form (Wage and Tax Statement) sent to you by your employer each January has boxes for reporting withholding of Federal Income Tax (box 2), Social Security Tax (box 4), Medicare Tax (box 6), State Income Tax (box 17) and local income tax (box 19). This article focuses on box 4 and box 6.
F-1 and J-1 students who have been in the U.S. in this status for 5 years or less (2002 or later), and J-1 scholars in the U.S. in this status for 2 years or less (2005 or later) who have been employed ON CAMPUS are exempt from Social Security and Medicare Tax (boxes 4 and 6). F-1 and J-1 students who worked off campus with the appropriate work authorization (economic hardship employment or practical training) are also exempt from these two taxes. However, F-1and J-1 students in the U.S. in this status for more than five years, J-2 dependents, J-1 scholars and faculty in the U.S. for more than two years, those in other non-immigrant statuses, and those who worked without authorization ARE subject to Social Security (FICA) and Medicare Tax.
If you are an F-1 or J-1 student who thinks that Social Security and/or Medicare Taxes were withheld from your pay incorrectly, because you were in the U.S. in this status for less than five years and had appropriate work authorization, then U.S. federal regulation requires that you contact the employer who issued you the W-2 and inform them of the error, AND ask that they refund you the money. If the employer cannot or will not issue the refund, there is a special procedure you can use to obtain a refund of Social Security and Medicare Tax. This procedure is entirely separate from filing your income tax forms.
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