Taxes

2022 Tax Workshops

The ISSO will be presenting the federal and state tax workshops via Zoom webinar. The time, date, and URLs for both workshops are provided below along with a selection of California State Tax resources.

Nonresident Federal Tax Workshop

Nonresident California State Tax Workshop

Please contact the ISSO via email if you have any questions about the workshops or resources above.

When contacting the ISSO, please understand that:

  • The ISSO is legally unable to provide tax advice, including advice about whether individuals need to file tax forms, which forms might be appropriate, identifying whether an individual is classified as a nonresident and/or if individuals are required to file state taxes in addition to federal taxes.
  • Tax workshop recordings are only available to current UCSF students and scholars through MyAccess. Unfortunately, ISSO is unable to assist gaining access to MyAccess. Contact UCSF's Information Technology for MyAccess questions.

Deadline to File Taxes

The deadline for filing the 2020 Federal and CA State Tax returns is April 18, 2023.

Federal Tax Software Access

To assist UCSF-affiliated internationals with filing their federal taxes, ISSO is pleased that we will be able to offer access to software without charge. This software only assists with filing federal taxes. International students and scholars are responsible for the costs associated with filing their state taxes. To be eligible to use the federal tax software, you must be a UCSF-affiliated international. International students and scholars are responsible for submitting state taxes at their own expense. Unfortunately, the ISSO is unable to provide state tax software access free of charge

Receiving a Tax Software Access Code

Please complete the eligibility survey to receive an access code. You must be a UCSF student, scholar or affiliate to be granted access to the software. ISSO will review your request and respond within 48 business hours. Please do not contact ISSO prior to 48-hours regarding access.

You must be a UCSF student, scholar or affiliate to be granted access to the software. ISSO will review your request and respond within 48 business hours. Please do not contact ISSO prior to 48-hours regarding access.

Frequently Asked Questions

I learned that there was also a postdoc tax workshop offered through the Office for Postdoctoral Scholars (OPS). Is it better to attend the OPS tax workshop, the ISSO tax workshops or both?

The Office for Postdoctoral Scholars (OPS) tax workshops only apply to those who hold the postdoctoral-paid direct and postdoctoral fellow UC titles. If you hold one of these titles and have not previously participated in an OPS tax workshop, we strongly recommend that you attend. OPS Tax Workshop information can be found on the UCSF Postdoctoral Scholars Association, and OPS general tax information can be found at http://postdocs.ucsf.edu/taxes. Your UC appointment letter will include your UC postdoctoral title. If you are unable to locate your UC appointment letter, you can ask your HR generalist for your UC title. If you missed the OPS workshop, please reach out to [email protected] for workshop slides. ISSO does not have access to OPS slides.

The ISSO state and tax workshops only apply to those who hold "nonresident" status for taxation purposes. If you are considered a nonresident and have not previously attended an ISSO state or federal tax workshop, we strongly recommend that you participate.

Can I ask a specific question about completing my tax documents?

The ISSO is not legally authorized to offer tax advice. We offer the following general information; however, ISSO is not responsible for misinformation.

Which taxes are deducted from my fellowship/salary?

The amount withheld from your paycheck is dependent upon your tax status which, in turn, is determined by your visa classification and the amount of time you have been in the United States.

What are the income tax filing requirements?

International students and scholars who have been in the U.S. for any portion of the previous calendar year must file an annual tax return by the following year's tax filing deadline. The deadline to submit state and federal taxes is generally April 15. Income that is taxed includes wages, scholarships and earnings on investments. The most common type of income is wages; the money withheld from each paycheck is an estimated payment of the federal and state income tax obligation. Please note: international students and scholars must file a tax return even if they did not work in the U.S. the previous year.

Who can I ask about tax treaties?

Tax treaties may exempt you from paying federal income tax in the United States (IRS Publication 901). Information about treaties can be obtained from Su Lin in the Controller's Office, [email protected]

In order to file a tax return and save time individuals should apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer’s Identification Number (ITIN) 10 business days after they have checked in with ISSO. Please download the Social Security number application form or ITIN application form. 

How to file my taxes?

Forms and Publications (Instructions) are available on the federal and state tax websites. Federal Forms and Publications by mail are available by calling 1(800) 829-3676.

In addition, UCSF has purchased Glacier Complete International Tax Preparation an internet-based tax preparation system for nonresidents for federal tax purposes. ISSO makes this program available to international students and scholars at UCSF. Individuals are responsible for filing their state taxes at their own expense. 

Those who are taking advantage of their country’s tax treaty with the U.S. will also have the ability to access Glacier via their GLACIER Online Tax Compliance Software account.

What is U.S. Internal Revenue Service?

The IRS is an agency of the Department of the Treasury. It administers U.S. tax collection and enforces internal revenue laws at the national level. You will report your immigration status and personal income to the IRS. Regardless of your nonresident tax or immigration status anyone who arrived in the U.S. should file Form 8843.

What is the California Franchise Tax Board?

The California Franchise Tax Board is the state level administration of personal income tax and corporation tax. Note that your federal nonresident tax status might not necessarily mean you will be nonresident for state tax purposes. An international scholar can be a resident for state tax purposes. To determine residency for California state tax purposes, see State of California Franchise Tax Board Publication 1031.

Other Tax Resources

The IRS offers assistance in-person at local offices, via telephone, and they have frequently asked questions on their website.

Assistance is also available through tax preparation services for nonresident and resident aliens. The following list is not an endorsement or recommendation for any of the preparation services but names to help begin your research.

  • Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
  • Tax Aid
  • H&R Block
  • Online Taxes
  • TaxBrain.com
  • Taxengine
  • TurboTax for the web
  • WorldWideWeb Tax
  • TaxACT

The ISSO does not endorse any specific software, nor do we assume liability if software is used incorrectly or if information on our site may be incorrect.