Taxes

This guide will help you navigate the different tax requirements and processes during your time in the United States as an international student, scholar, or dependent at Stanford. 

This information is general information to help you get started in completing your tax forms. Bechtel International Center staff cannot assist you with your tax forms and legally cannot answer any individual tax questions. Please contact appropriate tax counsel for specific tax questions.

General Tax Information & Requirements 

• The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires all international students and scholars to file federal tax forms, whether or not they had earned income during the tax year. In addition, F-2 and J-2 dependents must also file certain tax forms. In the U.S., tax forms are filed in the current year for the previous year.
• If you had any U.S. source income in 2023, the tax deadline for 2023 Federal IRS Tax Returns and California State Tax Returns is April 18, 2024.  If you had no U.S. source income in 2023, you have until June 15, 2024 to file appropriate forms.
• All international students and scholars must also file state tax forms if their income in 2023 was more than a certain amount. J-2s may also need to file.
• If you arrived in the U.S. after December 31, 2023, you do not have to file any tax forms in 2024.
• Tax definitions of "resident" and "non-resident" are different from immigration definitions of those terms. This information below is for students and scholars who qualify as non-residents for tax purposes. If you are a resident for tax purposes, you will need to complete the same tax forms as U.S. citizens. You can either prepare your own tax return or hire a qualified professional tax preparer.