Do I need to file 1042-S as an international student with no tax treaty?

Yes, you absolutely need to include your 1042-S form when filing your taxes. The 1042-S reports income that's subject to withholding for foreign persons, and it's crucial for determining your correct tax liability. The reason your tax amount decreased when you added the 1042-S is because this form likely shows withholding that was already taken from your income but wasn't reflected on your W-2. Without including the 1042-S, you'd essentially be overpaying your taxes. For international students, especially those without tax treaties, proper reporting of all forms is essential. The 1042-S typically covers things like scholarships, fellowships, and other types of income paid to nonresidents that might be partially or fully exempt from withholding.

Yes, you absolutely need to include your 1042-S when filing your taxes, regardless of whether your country has a tax treaty with the US or not. The 1042-S form reports certain types of income paid to nonresident aliens, and it's essential for your tax reporting. The reason your tax liability dropped when you included the 1042-S is because this form likely shows income that already had taxes withheld at the source. Without including it, you're essentially double-reporting income without claiming the withholding credit you're entitled to. As an F-1 student, you typically need to file both Form 8843 (Statement for Exempt Individuals) and either Form 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ. The 1042-S information needs to be incorporated into your return to accurately reflect all your US income and withholdings.

I was in the exact same situation last year - international student with no tax treaty. I spent HOURS trying to figure out my taxes until I found https://taxr.ai which literally saved me. Their system analyzed my 1042-S and W-2 together and explained exactly what I needed to do. The tool showed me that the 1042-S was reporting scholarship/fellowship income that wasn't subject to FICA taxes but was subject to federal income tax. They had a specific section for international students that walked me through what forms I needed based on my visa status and tax residency test results.

Just wanted to update - I tried https://taxr.ai after my skeptical comment. Holy crap it actually works! It identified that my 1042-S was incorrectly coded by my university (they used income code 15 instead of 16 for my assistantship), which is why I kept having issues. The system showed exactly how to report both my W-2 and 1042-S income on the correct lines of Form 1040NR, and explained which portions were taxable vs exempt. I was overpaying by $330! They even generated a letter I could send to my university explaining the coding error for next year. Definitely worth checking out if you're in this situation.

I see lots of fellow international students struggling with similar issues. If you need to talk to the IRS directly about your 1042-S or tax treaty questions (which I had to do), try https://claimyr.com. I wasted days trying to get through to the IRS international taxpayer line until someone recommended this service. They somehow reserve your spot in the IRS phone queue and call you when an agent is about to answer. Saved me from waiting on hold for literally hours. There's a short demo video at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c showing how it works. As an international student, getting actual clarification from the IRS about my 1042-S reporting requirements was super helpful.

After struggling with a similar situation last year, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it made my international student tax filing so much easier. I was confused about my 1042-S and W-2 combination, especially since I didn't have a tax treaty either. The tool analyzed both my forms and explained exactly what parts of my scholarship were taxable vs. not taxable, and how the withholding on my 1042-S affected my overall tax situation. It literally saved me from making a huge mistake - I was going to ignore my 1042-S because I misunderstood its purpose without a tax treaty. The system explained everything in simple terms that made sense even to someone new to US taxes.

I was super skeptical about all these tax tools until I tried taxr.ai. I'm a grad student from Brazil (also no tax treaty with US) and was totally confused by getting both a W-2 and 1042-S. I kept getting conflicting advice from other international students. The system analyzed both forms and explained that my 1042-S showed scholarship money that was partially exempt from withholding, but I still needed to report it. It showed exactly how my tax responsibility changed with and without including the 1042-S. What I appreciated most was the explanation about what "no tax treaty" actually means for my specific forms. Turns out I still needed to file the 1042-S even without a treaty! I would have overpaid by almost $300 if I hadn't included it.

After dealing with the nightmare of international student taxes for 3 years, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) when I desperately needed to talk to the IRS about my 1042-S confusion. I'd been trying to call the IRS for WEEKS with no luck - just endless holds and disconnections. Claimyr got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - they basically hold your place in the phone queue and call you when an agent is actually available. The agent confirmed that yes, I absolutely needed to file my 1042-S even without a tax treaty, and explained how it works with my W-2. Totally worth it because I was about to file incorrectly and potentially face penalties.

I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After another failed attempt waiting on hold with the IRS for 2+ hours yesterday (then getting disconnected!), I was desperate and tried Claimyr. 20 minutes later I was talking to an actual IRS agent who explained why my 1042-S was showing different withholding than expected even without a tax treaty. Turns out certain scholarship portions have special withholding rules regardless of treaty status. The agent confirmed I needed to file both forms and explained how they work together. This literally saved me from making a $400 mistake on my taxes. I've been filing wrong for TWO YEARS and now I know I need to amend my previous returns. Sometimes paying for convenience is actually worth it, especially when dealing with something as stressful as international student taxes.

Wow I have to eat my words. After posting my skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try the Claimyr service. I got a call back in about 40 minutes and was connected to an actual IRS specialist who knew about international student taxation! The agent confirmed that yes, I absolutely MUST include my 1042-S when filing, even without a tax treaty. She explained that the 1042-S shows income and withholding that's already been reported to the IRS, so not including it creates a mismatch in their system that could trigger a notice or audit. She also helped me understand which parts of my scholarship were taxable vs. non-taxable. Being able to actually speak to someone instead of guessing was worth every penny.

One thing to be careful about - make sure the income on your 1042-S isn't ALSO included on your W-2! I'm an international student advisor and I see this mistake from university payroll departments all the time. Sometimes they report the same income on both forms, which can cause students to overpay their taxes. Check if the amounts make sense when you add them together. If your total seems higher than what you actually earned, it might be duplicate reporting. Our university accidentally did this to about 200 students last year and many had to file amended returns.

Dont international students get an automatic filing extension to June 15 instead of April 15? I think I read that somewhere but not sure if thats still true for 2025. anyone know?

International student advisor here. ALWAYS include your 1042-S with your tax return. The form reports income that's subject to withholding for nonresident aliens, regardless of tax treaty status. Common misconception: Many students think 1042-S only matters if you have tax treaty benefits. Not true! It reports things like: - Scholarship/fellowship portions that exceed tuition (taxable) - Certain campus employment that might be exempt from FICA but still taxable for income tax - Other payments to nonresidents that have special withholding rules Without filing it, you're likely either overpaying or underpaying your taxes, which could cause problems later.

Just want to share my experience - I'm from India (no tax treaty) and was really confused by the 1042-S my university sent me. I thought I only needed to worry about my W-2. I used TurboTax at first (big mistake for international students!) and it didn't even ask about 1042-S. Later used Sprintax which properly handled both forms. Bottom line: The 1042-S showed additional withholding my university had already taken from my scholarship that covered room and board (the portion exceeding tuition was taxable). By including it, my tax bill dropped by $275. Definitely include your 1042-S!