This information is presented as a helpful guide about taxes related to 1098-T tuition statements, Sprintax, tax exempt forms, and W-2 information — it does not represent tax advice.
In general, students are responsible for determining their tax status and taxation of scholarships and fellowships when filing annual income tax returns.
The general rule is that any income is subject to federal taxation, but qualified scholarships and fellowships are subject to federal income taxes only, not New York State taxes.
Assistantships are paid as salary and are subject to both federal and NY state income tax.
International students at UB are required to pay taxes on all or a portion of their income and may have different requirements and regulations than a U.S. citizen. Tax filing requirements for international students vary depending on your visa category, the purpose of your visit and the length of your stay in the U.S.
In general, anyone who earned income in the U.S. is required to file a tax return if they earned over the standard deduction limit. You may not have to file a federal income tax return if your income is below a certain amount, however, you must file a tax return to claim a tax refund.
In preparation for your tax filing, if you earned income from UB, the university sends one or both of these wage and tax statements to you:
NOTE: UB does not issue 1099 forms to scholarship holders.
For domestic students, there are several factors that determine whether you should file a federal tax return. You must file a tax return if you are seeking a tax refund.
UB is unable to provide tax advice; each student is responsible for determining how the tax law applies to their own situation. However, there are several tools and resources available to help you.
Nonresident Alien employees should NOT use software or tax services meant for domestic individuals such as TurboTax or H&R Block.
1040: U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (IRS)
The IRS 1040 form is one of the official documents that U.S. taxpayers use to file their annual income tax return. The 1040 form is divided into sections where you report your income and deductions to determine the amount of tax you owe or the refund you can expect to receive.
1040-ES: Estimated Tax for Individuals (IRS)
The 1040-ES is used by individuals to report to the IRS their estimated tax due on income that isn’t subject to withholding. Often, individuals who do not have federal taxes automatically withheld from their pay by an employer, will file and pay their estimated tax on a quarterly basis using the IRS form 1040-ES.
1042-S: Annual Withholding Tax Return for U.S. Source Income of Foreign Persons (IRS)
UB submits the 1042-S to the IRS and to you for income that was tax-exempt under a tax treaty or for nonqualified scholarship, fellowship or honoraria income.
UB files a 1098-T form with the IRS
8843: Statement for Exempt Individuals (IRS)
International students or employees would file Form 8843 to claim either:
8863: Education Credits (American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credits) (IRS)
IT-2104: Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate (New York State)
You complete an IT-2014 form and submit it to UB when you begin your employment. This form tells the university how much state income tax to withhold from your pay.
W-2: Wage and Tax Statement (IRS)
UB submits this form to the IRS for every employee who was paid by the university in the preceding year. The W-2 form states how much tax was withheld from the employee on income, and for social security or Medicare.
W-4: Employee’s Withholding Certificate (IRS)
You complete a W-4 form and submit it to UB when you begin your employment. This form tells the university how much federal income tax to withhold from your pay.
W-9S: Request for Student’s or Borrower’s Taxpayer Identification Number (UB Registrar)
Students use this form to provide their social security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) to UB or a lender of a student loan, and certify that the proceeds of a loan are being used solely to pay for qualified higher education expenses.