For Exchange Visitors & Students

Our US tax FAQs (frequently asked questions) answer all your questions about the US tax system and how to get your refund with taxback.com.

The US tax system can be complicated but our team make it easy for you to claim back anything you overpaid while working in America. We also ensure you meet your US tax return filing obligations so you don't have any problems with future visa applications.

Our customers get average US tax refunds of US$800. Register online to file a tax return or use our free US tax refund calculator to see how much money you can claim.

If you've got a question about US tax refunds that isn't answered below, or you want to talk to someone now about your refund, Chat Live online with our team via instant messenger or contact your nearest taxback.com office.

When can I apply for my US tax refund?

If you received income from the US between 2011 and 2008 you can apply for your refund now.Download your US tax forms or register online today to get started.

If you are working in the US in 2012 we can apply for your tax refund at the end of 2012 so make sure you hold on to all your documents. If you leave your job or the US, use our FREE online refund calculator to see what you can claim back.

The US tax year is from January to December and tax returns should be filed by April 15 the following year. However, US tax law allows up to three years for tax returns to be filed.

If you underpaid tax in the US and are late in filing your US tax return, you will incur late penalties and interest on the money you owe.

Do I have to file a US tax return?

Yes. US tax law requires everyone who works in the country to file a tax return. If you don't file your tax return you could face penalties and interest on any money owed and this can affect future visa applications in the US. Temporary workers on J, F, M and Q Visas have to file a US tax return if they earn more than the following while in the US:

2011 – US$3700
2010 – US$3650
2009 – US$3650
2008 – US$3500

If you earned less than the threshold you don't have to file a US tax return, but you may still be owed a US tax refund so it's a good idea to file anyway so you don't miss out on any extra money. Use our free US tax refund calculator to find out now what you could be due.

How much money will I get back?

Taxback.com will get you back as much overpaid tax as is legally possible. That amount depends on factors like:

Your visa

Your earnings

What state you worked in

How long you worked for

The average refunds we get for our clients are:

J work and travel visa: $520

J or Q internship visa: $899

J, F or M student visa: $1005

J researcher visa: $877

Green card holder: $1118

H1B/H2B/H3 visa: $731

Remember that you can only claim a tax refund of any taxes you overpaid while working in the US – not all of the tax you paid in total.

Try our FREE online tax refund calculator to see how much cash you could get back.

How does taxback.com work?

Taxback.com takes care of everything in securing your US tax refund. We prepare your tax documents, estimate your refund, file your tax return, communicate with the tax office and then send your refund money to you as soon as we receive it from the tax office.

Here's how the process works:

1. You register online or download our US tax forms and send them to us at usdocuments@taxback.com with your W2 form or final payslips.
2. We'll estimate your refund and give you an online TaxTracker ^® account. If you're missing any documents we can get replacements for you.
3. We prepare and file your US tax return with the IRS and as soon as we receive your refund we contact you to organise the most convenient way to transfer it to you.

Get started now!

How long will it take to get my US tax refund?

As soon as we have it, you'll have it, because we contact you immediately when we receive your cheque from the IRS to organise the easiest way to send it to you.

Once we receive all your documents it takes us just one week to estimate your refund, prepare your US tax return and ship it to our US Certified Public Accountant Nick Kolligris in Chicago.

Nick and his team check your application so it is 100% compliant with US tax regulations. Nick personally signs your forms and submits them to IRS.

At the tax office the speed of your application depends on the office and its workload. The Federal Tax Office usually takes about 6- 8 weeks to process US tax refund applications. State Tax Offices vary from 3 to 9 months, depending on the state you worked in. Our tax team will keep chasing the tax office to see how your application is progressing.

Once approved, the tax office posts your refund cheque through international mail which takes about 10 working days. As soon as we receive your refund cheque from the tax office we contact you to organise a transfer through our secure payments system.

The total estimated time for your US income tax refund is 10-12 weeks.

How much will it cost?

Taxback.com gives you the best value-for-money tax refund service available anywhere in the world. We guarantee to get you the fastest, maximum, legal tax refund and our services and fees reflect this.

Firstly, you can receive a free online refund estimation in just a few minutes. Then once you send us your documents we'll evaluate your refund further and assess what additional services you need such as document retrieval or a temporary social security number. Then we'll let you know how much it will cost to file your tax return for you.

For US income tax refunds we charge 10% + handling fee of the refund received, subject to a minimum processing fee of $75 + handling fee for refunds up to $750.

If you are due a small refund from the US that does not cover our minimum fee, taxback.com offers a reduced fee to allow you to meet your US tax filing obligations and file your tax return.

For FICA refunds our fee is 20% + handling fee of the refund received, subject to a minimum fee of $75 + handling fee for refunds less than $375.

If you need to use our document retrieval service our fees are US$25 + handling fee.

How do I know if I'm a resident or non-resident for tax purposes?

If you're working in the US on a J, F, Q or M Visa you will be treated as a unless you pass the “Substantial Presence Test”.

To pass the substantial presence test you must have been physically present in the US for at least 31 days during the current year AND 183 days during a 3-year period including the current year and the two years before that. You can count all of the days you were present in the current year, 1/3 of the days you were present in the year before that and 1/6 of the days you were present in the year before that.

However, if you're on an F, J, M or Q student visa, you are not eligible under the substantial presence test until you have been in the US for 5 years. If you're on a work and travel, teacher, researcher, or trainee J visa, or a trainee Q visa, you are exempt from the substantial presence test for two years.

Being a non-resident for tax purposes means you need to file a 1040NR Tax Return (non-resident tax return) through the paper filing system. The 1040NR form is not available in the US e-filing tax system so please be careful of tax companies that promise to speed up your tax return by filing it online – it is illegal for non-residents such as J, F, M and Q Visa holders to use this system.

What is the April 15th deadline?

The April 15th tax deadline is the date by which all tax returns must be filed for the previous year. If you don't file your US tax return by April 15th you can still claim your tax refund as US tax law gives you up to three years to claim your refunds.

If you owe the tax office money and you don't file your tax return by April 15th, the US tax authorities will impose late filing penalties and interest on the amount you owe so the sooner you apply the better. Register for our US tax return services now.

How do I know what's happening with my tax return?

You can follow the step-by-step progress of your US tax refund application through your personal, secure, online TaxTracker ^® account. It allows you to see every update and action taken on your case, as well as any additional information or documents we need from you. As soon as we have your refund we'll contact you to sort out the best way to get your money straight to you.

If you'd like to talk to someone now about your refund, you can contact our team 24/7 through our Live Chat instant messaging service or contact your nearest taxback.com office.

What if I don't have my documents?

We know it's easy to lose documents in the move back home or to not even receive them in the first place. That's why we have a dedicated document retrieval team who deal with employers all over the world and can organise replacement documents for you. Simply contact us on usdocuments@taxback.com and we can start organising replacements today. Our fee for US document retrieval services is US$25 + handling fee.

What if I don't have a Social Security Card?

If you never received your Social Security Card we can still file your US tax return. To do this we'll need to organise a temporary number for you. This is called an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and is issued by the IRS. To apply for your ITIN we'll need some more documents so Chat Live with one of our customer representatives about what you need to do.

Our fee for organising an ITIN is $120.

What is a W2 form?

To claim your US tax refund, we'll need your W2 form. The W2 form is the official government form that you receive from your employer(s) in January after the tax year ends. The W2 form shows the amount of money you earned and the amount of tax you paid for that employer.

In most cases we can use your W2 form or your final cumulative payslip to claim your U.S tax refund. However some US states only accept applications with the W2 form so if you've misplaced yours or you never received it, our document retrieval team can obtain one for you.

You don't need to wait for your W2 form to arrive to start applying for your refund. Jump-start the process now by downloading a US TaxPack and sending in your forms so we can start preparing your tax return today.

What is a final cumulative payslip?

A final cumulative payslip is the payslip you receive with your final pay cheque. It shows your total earnings and the amount of tax you paid for that employer in the US.

We can use either your final cumulative payslip or your W2 form to file your US tax return. If you don't have your final cumulative payslip, our document retrieval team can organise a W2 form for you when the tax year ends.

What is a 1042-S form?

If you've worked as a trainee, student, teacher or researcher in the US on a J or F visa, you might have received a 1042-S form instead of a W2 form. You should receive the 1042-S by mid-March of the following tax year. It outlines non-employment income such as scholarships, fellowships or grants and any income exempt from tax because of a tax treaty. We can use either the W2 or 1042-S to apply for your tax refund.

What taxes will I pay in the US?

There are four types of tax in the US - Federal Tax, State Tax, Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) Tax, and Local Tax.

Federal Tax: Everyone working in the US pays federal tax and it is usually about 10% for temporary workers.

State Tax: Almost all states in the US have their own income tax system which can be quite different from the federal income tax system. State Tax varies from 1% to 13% depending on where you're working. Forty-two US States have State Tax.

Local Tax: As well as state tax, 10 US states also have Local Tax, which is city or county tax that is also deducted from your earnings.

FICA (Social Security and Medicare) Taxes: Temporary workers such as J1 Visa holders should not pay FICA tax but sometimes you may get incorrectly charged it. FICA tax is 7.65% and we can organise a refund of this tax if you do end up paying it.

Can I file my taxes electronically?

No. Electronic filing, known as e-filing, is only available to US nationals and residents. The 1040NR tax return form, the form for non-residents such as J, M Q and F visa holders, is not available in electronic format and so cannot be e-filed.

There is no legal way to e-file your 1040NR, so as a non-resident you should be careful of tax companies that promise to speed up your tax refund application by electronically filing it. If your tax return is filed against US tax law it could lead to problems with future visa applications to the US if you want to go back there again.

To make life a little easier for you, taxback.com allows you to scan and send* us your documents electronically, and then we post printed versions to the IRS for you. We can do this because our CPA and his team review every application and sign and submit them by paper to the IRS and we make sure your return is compliant with US tax laws.

*If you would rather post documents to us then click here to find your nearest office.

What taxes can you file for me?

Taxback.com can file your Federal, State, FICA and local tax for you. Download your US tax forms now.

Can I use an international tax treaty?

Depending on your nationality you may be able to claim a tax refund under international “tax treaties”, which are agreements between the US and other countries that allow you to claim back tax you paid while working abroad.

Taxback.com always checks if you're eligible for an international tax treaty when we file your USA tax return. Your eligibility depends on factors like your nationality and your visa.

For example, a German non-resident working in the US on a J internship visa would be entitled to a tax treaty if they were in their first or second year working in the US and had not been to the US in the previous five years.

Can you guarantee that I'll receive the refund amount you estimated for me?

No, but we do guarantee to get you the most money back that we legally can.

Our estimate is based on your documents and our experience in filing thousands of tax returns every week since 1996. The US tax authority has the final decision on your tax refund based on their systems and tax codes.

When our tax team prepares and files your return, they check for any allowances or benefits you could get and ensure we apply for the maximum rebate possible. Our Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Nick Kolligris and his team of accountants double check all that work to make sure there isn't anything else we can get for you and that the application is totally legal.

What is a CPA?

A Certified Public Accountant, or CPA, is a US accredited professional trusted by the IRS to approve whether tax returns are compliant with US tax law or not.

Our CPA Nick Kolligris is registered in Chicago, Illinois. Nick has been a CPA since 1994. Nick and his team check every single application we process - both for compliance and to make sure we are applying for the maximum legal refund we can - before they go to the IRS. Nick puts his signature and professional reputation on every US tax return we file. He guarantees your tax return will be legal and compliant when filed through us.

Could I owe money to the US tax authorities?

If you worked in the US temporarily, it's unlikely you'll owe any money to the tax authorities.

However, if you had more than one job at once and didn't inform your employers you may have overpaid tax. As you know, if you're a non-resident who worked in the US you have a legal obligation to file a tax return. Let us sort out your tax affairs now to avoid any problems with future visits to the US. Register for our US tax return service today.

Remember, if you owe money and don't file your return before the April 15 deadline you will get penalties and fines put onto the amount you owe.

What's the difference between filing my US tax return and getting my US tax refund?

We file your US tax return in order to organise your tax refund.

A tax return is the annual submission of tax forms documenting your earnings, taxes paid, deductable expenses, appropriate international tax treaties for your personal circumstances and allowances that you send to the tax office for review. They review it according to the information submitted by your employer and the current laws that apply to your case.

If you get a US tax refund, this means the tax office review found you had overpaid tax and were due some back.

Our estimate of your refund is based on our prediction of what the tax office will decide when they review your tax return - providing they have the same information as us.