Taxable Income and Filing Information

Scholarship Awards and Taxable Income

Important Financial Information for International Students

Everyone who earns income in the United States must pay taxes.   The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) expects your compliance with U.S. tax regulations that apply to international students and scholars.   If you have a paying job or a scholarship, you must file federal and state tax returns with the IRS.   You may or may not owe taxes depending upon the amount of income you receive from your job or scholarship and from any tax treaties that the United States has with your country.

Any scholarship can be considered taxable income if it covers anything other than tuition and applicable fees (graduation fee, application fee, books, lab fee, etc.).  The difference between the amount of scholarship received and the amount of the tuition and applicable fees is considered the ‘taxable income’.   International students receive credit, called an exemption, for every day they are in the United States.

Most of the international students do not have to pay taxes or pay only a small portion.  If tax forms are not completed, students will owe more money than if the forms were completed.   It benefits the international student to complete the forms on time.

For more information, Business Office, 1st Floor Wildy Hall at 618-537-6840 before leaving campus in December of each fall semester.   The forms must be filed by March 15th of each year.