College of the Redwoods
International Student Program

Taxes

Federal Taxes

F-1 students must file federal tax forms every year they are in the U.S. regardless of whether they worked or not. The deadline to file the forms is April 15.

ALL INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS MUST FILE FORM 8843
International students who were in the U.S. in 2004 must complete Parts I, III, sign and mail Form 8843. Mail the signed form to "Internal Revenue Service Center, Philadelphia, PA 19255". The college information for Part III, item 9 of Form 8843 is:

College of the Redwoods
7351 Tompkins Hill Road
Eureka, CA 95501-9300
707-476-4168

IF YOU WORKED, YOU MUST ALSO FILE FORM 1040NR-EZ OR FORM 1040NR
Read the instructions for Form 1040NR-EZ to determine which form you must file (most international students will file Form 1040NR-EZ). You are required to complete, sign and date your forms, and mail your forms to the address listed on the instructions.

WHERE TO GET FORMS
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms are availabe for download at www.irs.gov/formspubs/ (forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader).

California State Taxes

If you have earned no income in the U.S., you do not have to file a California State form. If you earned more than $12,729 in income during the year and are single, then you must file a California State Tax Form 540NR (short) or Form 540NR (long). Read the instructions for the short form 540NR to determine which form you must file (most international studnets who worked during the year will file short Form 540NR).

You may also want to file a California State form even if your income was less than the amount listed ablove, if any California State tax was withheld during the year, and you would like to obtain a refund of that tax. The way to tell if you California State tax was withheld is to look at your form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and see if there is any amount in box 17. California non-resident tax forms can be downloaded at www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/.

Tax Form Help
The College of the Redwoods' International Student Program staff can not help you complete income tax forms (we are not certified as tax specialists or tax accountants). If you have any questions about how to fill out forms, you will need to contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the California Tax Office (Franchise Tax Board), or pay a certified tax preparer to help you.

Federal Taxes (Internal Revenue Service)
Phone Assistance: call 1-800-829-1040
Web site: www.irs.gov

State Taxes (Franchise Tax Board)
Telephone Automated Assistance: call 1-800-338-0505
Web site: www.ftb.ca.gov/individuals/index.html

Paid Tax Preparation
If your tax return is complicated or you need additional help, another option is to pay a tax preparer to assist you in completing your forms. The largest tax preparer in the U.S. is H&R Block, with many locations in the U.S. Appoinments are available on an appointment or drop-in basis. A list of local offices is available online at www.hrblock.com.

Another option is International Students Taxes at www.istaxes.com. This is an online service only that specializes in tax forms for international students.

NOTE: College of the Redwoods does not endorse the companies listed above but provides their names only as a resource for you.