Who must file tax forms for 2021 tax season?
If you were physically in the U.S. in J status anytime between January 1 - December 31, 2021 you're
obligated to send at least one form, Form 8843, to the U.S. tax agency IRS (Internal Revenue
Service), even if you had no income.
If a nonresident J participant earns any US income, they will need to file a federal tax return with the
IRS by law. Failure to file a Federal tax return will breach IRS regulations and may inhibit
participants from returning to the US on any future visas. Depending on the individual
circumstances, you may also need to file a state tax return(s).
Tax Filing Deadline:
April 18th, 2022 is the last day for residents and non-residents who earned U.S. income to file
Federal tax returns for 2021.
Resident or Non-Resident for Federal Tax Purposes:
Generally, most J-1 Intern/Trainees, Summer Work and Travel, Au Pairs, Teachers and Camp
Counsellors are considered non-residents for tax purposes. The above J visas are automatically
considered non-residents for 2 out of the last 6 calendar years in the US. If you’ve been in the US for
longer than 2 years for the last 6 years period, the Substantial Presence Test will determine your tax
residency. Sprintax will confirm your tax residency for you.
How to File:
Sprintax is a resource available for nonresidents that provides online Federal and State tax
preparation software for non-residents in the U.S.
After you login to Sprintax, it will ask you a series of questions about the time you have spent in the
United States and in which immigration status, looking back over a period of years. Sprintax will then
determine your tax status. If it determines that you are a "nonresident alien" (NRA) for federal tax
purposes, you can continue to use it to respond to a series of guided questions. Sprintax will
complete and generate the forms you need to send to the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). If it
determines you are a resident alien for federal tax purposes, you won't be able to continue using the
software.