Do I have to pay taxes if I'm a non-US citizen earning money online?

Yes, you absolutely need to pay taxes on income earned while physically in the US, regardless of your citizenship status. The US tax system is based on both citizenship and physical presence, so as a non-resident alien who is physically present here, you're still subject to US tax laws on income earned within the country. For your online art commissions, you'll need to report this as self-employment income. You'll typically use Form 1040-NR (U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return) and Schedule C to report your business income and expenses. If your net earnings are $400 or more, you'll also need to pay self-employment tax. As for privacy concerns, the IRS doesn't automatically send tax documents to your home country. Tax documents are sent to the address you provide on your tax return. You can use your current US address for all correspondence. You can also set up an online account with the IRS to access your tax information electronically, reducing paper mail.

After dealing with similar international student tax issues last year, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that specializes in helping non-residents figure out their tax obligations. I was super confused about what forms to file as a non-citizen with income from multiple sources, and their AI system analyzed my situation and gave me step-by-step guidance. For your specific concern about privacy, they explained that you can use a US address for all correspondence and even set up electronic delivery for most IRS communications. The tool also helped me understand which deductions I qualified for as a non-resident student with side income - ended up saving me nearly $800 I didn't know I could claim!

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that someone mentioned above. As a fellow international student with freelance income, it was exactly what I needed! The privacy features were fantastic - I was able to set everything up to receive electronic notifications only, and they helped me understand exactly what forms I needed as a non-resident alien with self-employment income. The best part was discovering I qualified for certain tax treaty benefits between my country and the US that reduced my tax liability significantly. They walked me through reporting my online income correctly without overpaying. Would've been completely lost trying to figure this out on my own since the regular tax software programs don't handle non-resident situations well.

If you're still having trouble getting clear answers about your tax situation, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to an actual IRS agent. I was in a similar situation - international student with side income - and had specific questions about my tax treaty benefits that no online resources could answer clearly. I tried calling the IRS directly but kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Claimyr got me through to a real person at the IRS in about 20 minutes who confirmed exactly how my specific situation should be handled. They have a demo video here https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c that shows how it works. The agent I spoke with gave me definitive answers about my filing requirements and confirmed I could use my US address for all correspondence to maintain privacy.

I need to apologize for my skepticism about Claimyr. After struggling for weeks trying to get through to the IRS about my non-resident tax situation, I finally tried it out of desperation. Within 15 minutes, I was actually talking to a real IRS agent who specialized in international tax issues. The agent confirmed that as a non-US citizen I definitely needed to report my income, but also explained exactly how to ensure all correspondence stayed at my US address. They even helped me understand how to properly classify my online income under the tax treaty with my home country. Saved me from potentially making a serious filing mistake that could have affected my visa status. Sometimes the most official information comes directly from the source!

As someone who's been an international student in the US for 3 years now, here's what I've learned about taxes: 1) Yes, you have to pay taxes on ANY income earned while in the US, citizen or not 2) Privacy is actually pretty simple - just use your US address on all forms 3) The form you want is 1040NR not the regular 1040 4) Your online pics income would be considered self-employment, so you'll need Schedule C 5) If you make over $400 net, you'll owe self-employment tax too Don't risk not reporting it! IRS can track income through payment platforms and bank deposits. Tax issues can seriously mess up your visa status for the future.

I think everyone's overcomplicating this. If you're making money from Only... I mean "selling pictures online" and it's not much, just don't report it? Use cash app or something that doesn't send tax forms. The IRS isn't going after small fish especially international students.

I went through almost exactly the same situation last year as an international student with online income! Here's what I learned: You definitely need to report this income - the IRS considers any money earned while physically present in the US as taxable, regardless of citizenship status. For digital art commissions, you'll be filing as self-employed using Form 1040NR and Schedule C. Regarding privacy, this was my biggest concern too. The good news is that ALL tax correspondence goes to whatever address you put on your return - just use your current US address and nothing will be sent to your home country. I also set up an online IRS account to access everything electronically, which minimized any physical mail. One thing that really helped me was checking if your home country has a tax treaty with the US. Many countries do, and it can significantly reduce what you owe or even exempt certain types of income. The IRS Publication 901 has all the details. Keep detailed records of any expenses related to your art business (software, supplies, equipment) - these are deductible and can really help reduce your tax burden. And if you're making over $400 net profit, you'll need to pay self-employment tax too. Don't stress too much about keeping it private from your family - the US tax system is completely separate from your home country's system, and there's no automatic information sharing for individual tax returns.