Year-End Tax FAQs for Foreign Nationals

Form W-2:
Available in Workday by January 31 of the next year. A paper copy is mailed to terminated employees.  

Form 1042-S:
Available in Glacier Tax Compliance by March 10 of the next year. A paper copy is mailed to employees that no longer have a Glacier account. 

Form 1098-T
Available via the UW Student Fiscal Services website by January 31 of the next year.

Your SSN or ITIN must be in Workday and Glacier Tax Compliance in order for it to appear on your tax forms.

If you recently received your SSN or ITIN, please enter it into Glacier Tax Compliance and work with your department to enter it into Workday.

After your SSN or ITIN has been entered into both Glacier and Workday, contact the Payroll Office with the subject line “Corrected Tax Form Requested” – the Payroll Accounting & Tax team will then be able to issue you a corrected tax form.

Important: When filing your taxes, you will need to include both the original and corrected forms with your tax filing document.

Contact the UW Registrar’s Office, registra@uw.edu, to add your SSN or ITIN to your UW student account.

You may receive a 1042-S tax form if you claimed tax treaty benefits as a resident alien for tax purposes or your tax status changed during the previous calendar year. Refer to IRS Publication 519 for information.

Log into Glacier Tax Compliance and select the “Glacier Tax Prep” link.

-OR-

Go to the UW International Student Services (ISS) website. 

Glacier Tax Prep is software you use to generate your year-end tax return paperwork. Glacier Tax Prep does NOT file your tax return with the IRS – you need to file your tax return by printing signing, and mailing your finalized tax return paperwork to the IRS, along with copies of your tax form W-2, 1042-S, and/or 1098-T.

Glacier Tax Compliance is software used by the Payroll Office to determine the tax status for your paychecks. Glacier Tax Compliance does not create a tax return. The information in Glacier Tax Compliance is required during the duration of your position at the UW.

No. Glacier Tax Prep can only be used by foreign nationals who are Nonresident Aliens for tax purposes.

Yes. There are two ways to access Glacier Tax Prep:  

• Option 1 – Log into Glacier Tax Compliance and select the “Glacier Tax Prep” link. When asked if your information is correct, choose “Yes,” even if your information has changed. You will not be able to make changes to your information, as it resides in Glacier Tax Compliance. If your Glacier Tax Compliance account is no longer active, you will need to access Glacier Tax Prep per Option 2, below.
  -OR-
• Option 2 – Go to the UW International Student Services (ISS) website and access Glacier Tax Prep using the Glacier Tax Prep portal. 

Important: You will need to choose “Did Not Work on Campus” to access Glacier Tax Prep and create a new login and password that is NOT the same as the UW login. Choosing “Worked On Campus” will take you back to the Glacier Tax Compliance log in page and no updates to Glacier information will be allowed.

No. Glacier Tax Prep can only be used if your tax status at the end of the tax year was a nonresident alien for tax purposes. 

Glacier Tax Prep will automatically assign an access code if you access it from either Glacier Tax Compliance or the UW International Student Services (ISS) website.

Alternatively, you can email the ISS office with the subject line “Glacier Tax Prep access code.”

Nonresident aliens for tax purposes
To determine if a tax filing is required, use Glacier Tax Prep or any tax program that supports tax filing for nonresident aliens.

Resident Aliens for tax purposes
To determine if a tax filing is required, use any tax filing program that US citizens/permanent residents can use. A list of free tax filing programs is available on the IRS website. If you used a tax treaty benefit during the tax year, then you may want to consult with a personal tax specialist on how to claim the tax treaty benefit on your tax return.

IMPORTANT: Foreign nationals should wait to complete their tax return until they have received all tax documents including the 1042-S tax form. Note that 1042-S tax documents are not distributed until March.

Nonresident aliens can use Glacier Tax Prep to determine if a tax filing is required. Foreign nationals present in the US with no payments may be required to complete a tax filing.

If you were in the U.S. during the tax year in question, you can start the process in Glacier Tax Prep to determine if you need to file.

If you worked on campus:
Log into Glacier Tax Compliance. Select “Review/Print My Forms” then the “Print Forms” button. The “Tax Residency Status” shown on the Tax Summary Report indicates whether you are considered a Nonresident Alien or Resident Alien for tax purposes.

If you did not work on campus:
Begin the filing process through Glacier Tax Prep. If Glacier Tax Prep determines you are a Resident Alien, it will provide information about how to file your taxes.

About Resident Alien status
Resident Alien status is determined by a formula of days spent in the U.S and visa type. Glacier Tax Prep is programmed to make the tax status designation based on the entry/arrival status recorded on your I-94 document. This is called the Substantial Presence Test.

Being a Resident Alien for tax purposes does not change your immigration status. Your tax status changes based on your visa type and time spent in the US. 

Resident aliens for tax purposes can use any tax filing program available to US citizens/permanent residents. Possible resources include:

• The IRS’s free filing service
• Other tax software programs
• Professional tax accountants
• UW Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
• Glacier Tax Prep also has information regarding how to file taxes as a resident alien

If you did not complete a tax return in previous years, you can initiate the previous year tax return in Glacier Tax Prep.

Glacier Tax Prep may charge you for accessing tax reports other than the current tax year. Each tax filing report must be printed and mailed in separate envelopes to the IRS.  

If you were in the U.S. during the tax year in question, start the process in Glacier Tax Prep to determine if you need to file. 

Your tax return form must be printed and mailed to the IRS with your tax document(s) (W-2, 1042-S, etc.). Glacier Tax Prep will prompt you to complete these steps and provides the IRS’ mailing address.  

Glacier Tax Prep does not automatically e-file your tax return.

Do NOT mail your tax return to the Payroll Office. It must be mailed to the IRS.

Print

• You must physically print your tax return document.
• Save a copy of your tax return document.

Mail

• Place your printed tax return document in an envelope.
• Address it to the IRS (address found at the end of GTP process).
• Take your envelope to a reliable post service and ask for a tracking number.
• Monitor the tracking number to ensure delivery.

Wait

• IRS processing times can be lengthy (over 6 months).
• Once the IRS receives your tax return, they will send you a mailing receipt notice.
• Keep waiting.