FICA Tax Refund for Non-Resident Alien - Where Do I Mail Forms 843 & 8316?

The correct address depends on where you lived when you filed. For non-resident aliens seeking FICA tax refunds using Forms 843 and 8316, there are specific submission guidelines. If you lived in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas when filing, you should send your forms to the Austin, TX service center at: Internal Revenue Service Austin Service Center 3651 S. Interregional Hwy 35 Austin, TX 78741 For most other states, including international addresses, the Ogden, UT address is correct: Internal Revenue Service Ogden Service Center 1160 West 1200 South Ogden, UT 84201 I recommend resending your forms with certified mail and return receipt requested so you have proof of delivery. Also, include a brief cover letter explaining this is a resubmission because your previous forms were reportedly not received. Include your contact information clearly on all documents. The IRS is currently experiencing significant processing delays for paper submissions, so it might take 6-12 months to process once received.

I went through this exact same nightmare last year trying to get my FICA refund as a former J-1 visa holder. After months of getting nowhere, I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that literally saved me thousands in incorrectly withheld taxes. Their system analyzed my tax documents, confirmed I was eligible for the FICA refund as a non-resident, and provided me with properly completed forms with the CORRECT mailing address for my situation. They even included a cover letter template explaining my situation to the IRS. Most importantly, they gave me specific instructions about sending it certified mail with tracking. Much better than the generic advice I got from the tax prep software that led me nowhere. Might be worth checking out since you're dealing with the exact same issue I had.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai from the suggestion above. It was super helpful for my FICA refund situation! They found that I had been improperly classified in my employer's system despite having the right visa documentation on file. The service helped me prepare a complete package with the correct forms and a detailed cover letter explaining my non-resident alien status. Most importantly, they provided the current correct mailing address for my situation (which turned out to be Philadelphia, not Ogden or Austin for my particular case). I sent everything certified mail with tracking as they suggested, and just got confirmation that the IRS received my package. Now I'm just waiting for processing, but at least I know it's in the right hands this time! Will update when I (hopefully) get my refund.

I had a similar issue with my FICA refund last year. After months of calling the IRS and getting nowhere, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of the usual hours-long wait or getting disconnected. When I finally spoke with a knowledgeable agent, they told me exactly where to send my forms AND gave me a reference number to include so my case would be prioritized. You can see how the service works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Before using this, I had called the IRS general line 8 different times trying to get information about my missing FICA refund, and either got disconnected or received conflicting information from different reps. Getting through to someone who actually knew about non-resident alien FICA refunds made all the difference.

I need to issue a public apology about my skepticism on Claimyr. After posting that comment yesterday, I was still desperate to resolve my own FICA refund issue, so I decided to try it despite my doubts. I'm genuinely shocked - it actually worked exactly as described. After weeks of failing to get through on my own (always getting the "call back later" message), I was connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. The agent I spoke with was incredibly helpful and walked me through exactly what I needed to do. Turns out I had been sending my forms to the wrong department entirely. For my specific situation (former H1-B who returned to Canada), I needed to send everything to a completely different address than what my tax software had recommended. The agent even gave me the direct line to the department that handles non-resident alien FICA refunds. Sorry for being so cynical before. Sometimes things that sound too good to be true actually do work.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who successfully got their FICA refund as a non-resident alien. The key things that worked for me: 1) Include your original W-2s (or at least copies) with the forms 2) Attach a copy of your visa/I-94 showing your non-resident status 3) Include a cover letter clearly explaining your situation 4) Send everything CERTIFIED MAIL with return receipt 5) Keep copies of absolutely everything It took about 5 months to process but I did eventually get my full refund of around $3,800. Also, follow the advice about calling the IRS to confirm the correct mailing address - it does seem to change sometimes depending on your state and situation.

I know you've gotten a lot of advice already, but one thing no one's mentioned - there's a new IRS direct file system that might help track your submission if you resubmit. My tax advisor said they're implementing better tracking for paper submissions after all the pandemic backlog issues. Also, triple check that you're filling out Form 8316 completely correctly. There's a box in Section B that specifically asks about employer reimbursement attempts. If you mark this incorrectly, they'll bounce it back to you.

I went through this exact same situation a few years ago! The mailing address confusion is unfortunately very common. Here's what I learned from my experience: The correct address really does depend on your state of residence when you filed. However, I'd recommend calling the IRS again to double-check because processing centers do occasionally change their assignments. When you call, specifically ask for the "International Tax Services" department - they handle non-resident alien issues and tend to be more knowledgeable about FICA refunds than general customer service. A few additional tips that helped me: - Include a detailed timeline in your cover letter explaining when you worked, when taxes were withheld, and when you first submitted - Attach copies of your paystubs showing the FICA withholding if you still have them - Consider sending it to both addresses if you're really unsure (I know it sounds excessive, but better safe than sorry with $3,000 on the line) The 3-year statute of limitations mentioned earlier is correct, so you still have time. Don't give up! The IRS processing times are brutal right now, but these refunds do eventually come through if everything is submitted correctly. Good luck!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! I was on an F-1 visa doing OPT in 2022 and my employer withheld about $2,800 in FICA taxes that I shouldn't have paid as a non-resident alien. After reading through all these responses, I'm getting confused about which service or approach to try first. It sounds like there are multiple ways to tackle this - calling the IRS directly (possibly through Claimyr to get through faster), using a service like taxr.ai to prepare the forms correctly, or just doing it myself with certified mail to the right address. For those who successfully got their refunds - what would you recommend as the best first step? Should I start by calling the IRS to confirm the correct mailing address, or go straight to resubmitting with all the documentation mentioned here? Also, has anyone had success getting their refund for 2022 tax year specifically? I want to make sure I'm still within the time limits before I invest too much effort into this process. Thanks for all the detailed advice in this thread - it's been incredibly helpful to see others who went through the same frustrating experience!

I'm also dealing with a FICA refund situation and wanted to share what I learned from my tax attorney. One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is that you should check if your employer actually remitted those FICA taxes to the IRS or if they're still holding them. Some employers, especially smaller companies, don't immediately send withheld taxes to the IRS - they might remit quarterly. If your employer still has the money, you can potentially get it back directly from them, which is much faster than going through the IRS refund process. You can request a "wage and income transcript" from the IRS for the tax year in question (Form 4506-T) to see exactly what was reported. This will show you whether the employer actually sent the FICA taxes to the IRS or not. If the taxes were indeed sent to the IRS, then you're on the right track with Forms 843 and 8316. But if they weren't, you might be able to resolve this directly with your former employer, which could save you months of waiting. Also, make sure you understand the difference between being exempt from FICA as a non-resident alien versus being in the US on a treaty-exempt visa. The process and required documentation can be slightly different depending on your specific visa type and country of origin.