Tax Information

Student Tax Documents

W-2 (Wages)
Student employees will be sent W-2 forms by January 31st of each year. To ensure forms are received without delay, please contact the Human Resources Office immediately if you have a change of address. Duplicate forms may be requested from the Payroll Office at (615) 963-7607. Duplicates will be mailed after February 15th, and only after correct addresses have been entered into the system by the Human Resources Office.

1098-T (Hope and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits)
In compliance with the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (TRA97), 1098-T tax statements will be available for students on myTSU each year. The statements will reflect amounts billed for qualified tuition and related expenses. The statements are for their use in determining if they are eligible for the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit or the Lifetime Learning Credit. The information provided in Box 2 is the amount of qualified tuition and related expenses charged during the calendar year. Items such as room and board, books, supplies, etc., are not included as they generally do not qualify for the credits. Box 5 is the total of grants and scholarships applied to those expenses. These items generally offset and reduce the amount of qualified expenses eligible for the credits.
Since the statements will not be mailed, students should access myTSU @ http://mytsu.tnstate.edu to print the1098T Tax Statements on January 31st each year (Parents will need to coordinate logon information with students). The parent, guardian, or student will be responsible for reporting to the IRS amounts actually paid out-of-pocket or with borrowed funds during the tax year for qualified tuition and related expenses. For assistance contact the Bursar's Office at (615) 963-5472 or (877) 288-0028.

For assistance logging into myTSU, please call the Help Desk at (615) 963-7777.

1098-E (Interest on Student Loans)
Also in compliance with TRA97, students who pay interest on Perkins Loans will be sent a 1098-E form by January 31st. Please contact University Accounting Services at 1-800-999-6227 if you have had a change of address. (The Tennessee State University representative at University Accounting Services is Ms. Joni Turdo.) Duplicate forms may be requested directly from University Accounting Service after February 15th, and only after correct addresses have been entered into the system by the Tennessee State University Records Office.
If you would like additional information on the 1098-T or 1098-E, please contact your tax consultant or the Internal Revenue Service at www.irs.ustreas.gov, as Tennessee State University may not provide tax advice or make a determination regarding your eligibility to claim these credits.

Income tax questions

If you received U.S. based income in the previous tax year:

All F-1, J-1, and J-2 visa holders who have earned income (i.e.: salary, scholarships, stipend, etc) from sources in the United States during the previous year are required by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) policies to complete a federal income tax form. Additionally, the Form 8843 must be also be completed to report your physical presence and reaffirm your non-resident alien status in the U.S. If you fail to file Form 8843, you will be non-compliant with US tax laws and the IRS can choose to treat you as a resident alien for tax purposes. If they do so, your worldwide income is subject to US taxation.

Both forms must be postmarked by April 15th.

If you did not receive any U.S. based income in the previous tax year:

Only Form 8843 must be filed by June 15th.

Am I a Resident Alien or Non-Resident Alien for tax purposes?

The forms you use to file your income taxes will depend on your residency status for tax purposes, and whether or not you received U.S. based income that year. Although you are a non-resident for immigration purposes, you may be considered a resident alien for tax purposes.

How do I determine if I need to pay taxes?
In January or February each year, your current and/or previous employer will send you a W-2 or 1042 form. These tax statements will tell you how much money has been withheld from your paychecks for taxes. You will receive a statement from any source of interest or income you have received in the previous year, including scholarships. You will use this information to complete tax forms and determine the amount you must pay in income taxes for that year. If additional taxes are owed, the amount owed is submitted to the IRS with the tax forms. If too much tax has been withheld, the IRS will issue a refund.

I need to complete tax forms but I do not have a Social Security Number. What do I do?
Non-residents who do not have a social security number must file a form W-7 to obtain an Individual Tax Payer Identification Number (ITIN).

Tax Terms

Federal Income Tax Brochure published by NAFSA: Association of Internaitonal Educators

Nonresident Alien – If you are not a U.S. Citizen, you are considered a nonresident alien unless you meet the Green Card Test or Substantial Presence Test. IF you meet one of these two tests, you may be considered a resident alien for tax purposes only. For more information on these tests please see the U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens, IRS Publication 519. For more information see the VU Human Resources International Tax Information Sheet.

Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, is used to report wages paid to employees and the taxes withheld from them. The form is also used to report FICA taxes to the Social Security Administration. Relevant amounts on Form W-2 are reported by the Social Security Administration to the Internal Revenue Service.

Employers must complete a Form W-2 for each employee to whom they pay a salary, wage, or other compensation. The Form W-2 reports income on a calendar year (January 1 through December 31) basis, regardless of the fiscal year used by Vanderbilt for other Federal tax purposes. However, this refers to the time period in which an employee has been compensated, not necessarily the actual dates of employment. After the final payroll in December, employment is normally compensated and subject to tax in the following year.

You should receive your W-2 form from Vanderbilt in the mail by the end of January.

W-7 – Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). For use by individuals who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

ITIN - IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is for federal tax purposes only. IRS issues ITINs to individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN) from the Social Security Administration (SSA).

1042-S – Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income

1040NR – The forms 1040NR and its “easy” version 1040NR-EZ are to be used by nonresident aliens filing a tax return. Nonresident aliens (eg F-1, J-1, etc. holders) who have been in the US for less than 5 years should use the 1040NR form.

1098-T – Form 1098T is a form used to report certain tuition payments to the individual and the IRS. It can be used by U.S. tax residents (citizens, permanent residents, and residents under the substantial presence test) to claim certain tax credits. Persons who are ‘nonresident aliens’ are not issued the form as you can not take any of those credits.

1099-INT – 1099 forms report various types of income other than wages, salaries, and tips. The 1099-INT form is used to report Interest Income from a Savings or Money Market bank account. You will receive this form by mail from your bank by February.

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