Office of the Controller
Tax Filing Requirements For International Individuals Without Income
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No Income? Tax Form 8843
All nonresident aliens present in the U.S. under F-1, F-2, J-1, or J-2 nonimmigrant status must file "Statement for Exempt Individuals and Individuals With a Medical Condition"—even if they received NO income during the current tax year. must be filed if an individual is:
- present in the U.S. during current tax year
- a nonresident alien
- present in the U.S. under F-1, F-2, J-1, or J-2 status
If an individual meets all three qualifications above, the individual must file , regardless of the individual's age and even if the individual is not required to file a U.S. income tax return ( or ).
Generally, no. Nonresident aliens who are not required to file an income tax return ( or ), but who are required to file , need not apply for a Social Security number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). If, however, an SSN/ITIN has been assigned, the number must be included on .
An exception to this rule is for individuals who are eligible to be claimed as dependents on a U.S. income tax return. Such individuals must have an SSN/ITIN. Only nonresident aliens from a very limited number of countries may claim an exemption for their dependents on their U.S. income tax return (Form 1040NR). In such a case, any dependent who is claimed must have a SSN/ITIN. An exemption for spouse and/or dependents is only applicable if the country of tax residence is:
- American Samoa
- Canada
- Korea
- Mexico
- Northern Mariana Islands
- India (applicable only to F-1 and J-1 students)
- If you are required to file an income tax return (/), attach to the back of the tax return.
- If is for a spouse or dependent eligible to be claimed as a dependent on a federal tax return, must be attached to the back of the tax return on which they are claimed.
- If is not filed in connection with a federal tax return, the form must be sent to Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service Center, Austin, TX 73301-0215 and is due by June 15. Please note that each individual who files must send the form separately from any other form or anyone else's forms.