Do F-1 students need an ITIN?

Do F-1 students need an ITIN?

If you’re a student attending a college or university in the United States, you might be wondering about your tax status while pursuing your studies and what documents you’ll need to file. Income from an on-campus job obviously needs to be reported, but did you know there are other things you’re required to report? Here’s a look at the situations that require students to register for ITIN numbers.

Who Needs an ITIN? 

Under United States law, international students attending school on an F-1 visa still have to report income, but the way you do it depends on your exact situation. If you hold a job to earn extra money during your studies, you’ll need to get a Social Security number and use that when reporting your wages as well as any grant, scholarship, fellowship, or stipend money that exceeds your tuition and fees. For students who don’t work but still receive money beyond their annual tuition and fee expenses, it’s still necessary to report the overage even though you don’t qualify for a Social Security Number. In this case, you’ll need to fill out an ITIN application and make sure it’s on file with your university. If you’re paying your own way completely or your grants match your expenditures exactly, you don’t need to go through this step, as you have nothing to report. 

Apply or Renew Today

No matter if you’re a first-time student or you’ve been in the United States for a few years, don’t put your visa at risk by failing to report your income. Even if you already have an ITIN, but it hasn’t been used recently due to your financial situation, the IRS might have purged it. If it’s time to apply for the first time, you don’t know where to send W7 form correspondence or you need help filing an ITIN renewal application, trust the team at ITIN W-7 Application to help guide you through the entire process.