Am I required to file income taxes?

Yes, just like Americans, international students in the USA are required to file a tax return. It is important to understand that filing tax returns is mandatory for international students, and not filing them by the deadline could result in problems with or a revocation of your visa. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the U.S. government agency that collects taxes, and they have a strict deadline of April 15 (or the following Monday if that falls over the weekend) to file tax returns covering the previous calendar year of January 1 to December 31. All F-1 international students, regardless of income, must complete Form 8843. If you are in the USA on a J-1 visa, you DO need to pay income taxes on the income you earn. We recommend you utilize Sprintax. The International Student Support office will schedule a tax preparation workshop for students in the spring semester.