Taxes can be hard, they are often not intuitive and the consequences of doing your taxes wrong can result in anything from fines to jail time. Taxes can be doubly hard for many international students, who often don’t speak English as a first language and didn’t grow up accustomed to the American tax system.
All international students need to fill out their 2024 taxes, whether they reported income or not if they were present in the U.S. in 2024, the tax filing deadline for 2024 tax filings is April 15, 2025. Doane is attempting to help these international students by offering guidance with a tax service workshop that took place on Feb. 21 and aimed to help inform students about the tax process.
There are a couple of key pointers for these students to be aware of, as non-resident taxpayers go through a different process than United States taxpayers. Non-resident taxpayers are not allowed to file US taxes electronically, they must complete and mail paper forms.
International students will also not receive a tax refund as compared to US taxpayers, who receive a tax refund for every financial year. If they do receive a refund that means they incorrectly filled out their tax return as a US taxpayer.
Taxes can be confusing and thus can lead to a great amount of confusion, international students who are struggling with filling out their taxes can reach out to Assistant Professor of Practice in the College of Business Tracey Corr and Director of International Programs Tim Burge, who both spearheaded the taxes workshop for students. They can connect confused students with resources that may help them or outright help international students fill out their taxes. Again, the tax deadline for both US and international taxpayers is April 15.
