Dear Atlanta Tax Expert,

I came to US in August 2015, I had no income till Jan 2nd week of 2016 but I have SSN from September of 2015. For me does Form 8843 is mandatory or optional?

Do I need to enter my SSN in Form 8843?

Do need to provide any values in the beginning and ending fields of Form 8843

Thanks,
Samanth

The instructions for form 8843 say

Who Must File:
If you are an alien individual (other than aforeign government-related individual),you must file Form 8843 to explain thebasis of your claim that you can excludedays of presence in the United States forpurposes of the substantial presencetest because you:• Were an exempt individual, or• Were unable to leave the United Statesbecause of a medical condition ormedical problem.

Here is a link to the form, with its instructions:
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8843.pdf

Stay tuned, though: our tax expert(s) may say more on the matter.

If your visa is "F", "J", "M" or "Q", you must submit Form 8843. If you bhave not done so, send it in as soon as you can. No real penalty for submitting late.

Otherwise, no Form 8843 is required for a "H", "E", "O" or "L" visa.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AtlantaTaxExpert

If your visa is "F", "J", "M" or "Q", you must submit Form 8843. If you bhave not done so, send it in as soon as you can. No real penalty for submitting late.

Otherwise, no Form 8843 is required for a "H", "E", "O" or "L" visa.

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Do I need to enter my SSN in Form 8843?

Do need to provide any values in the beginning and ending fields of Form 8843?

Do I need to enter my SSN in Form 8843?

what values do I need to provide in the beginning and ending fields of Form 8843?

You need to put your name and SSN, plus your U.S. and home country address.

Then answer the questions about visa status, date of entry, passport number, etc.

Then SIGN and mail it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AtlantaTaxExpert

You need to put your name and SSN, plus your U.S. and home country address.

Then answer the questions about visa status, date of entry, passport number, etc.

Then SIGN and mail it.

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What values need to be provided in the beginning and ending fields of Form 8843?

Attachment 48360

Just to reiterate, this form is only required to explain the basis of a claim that he or she is able to exclude days of presence in the US. -
301.7701(b)-8(a)(2) Exempt Individuals And Individuals With A Medical Condition.

An alien individual must file a statement to explain the basis of the individual's claim that he or she is able to exclude days of presence in the United States because the individual --


301.7701(b)-8(a)(2)(i)
Is an exempt individual as described in section 301.7701(b)- 3(b)(3) (teacher/trainee) or (b)(4) (student);


301.7701(b)-8(a)(2)(ii)
Is an exempt individual described in section 301.7701(b)- 3(b)(5) (professional athlete); or


301.7701(b)-8(a)(2)(iii)
Has a medical condition or problem as described in section 301.7701(b)-3(c).

If the Form is for Calendar Year 2015, then leave the "beginning" and "ending" fileds BLANK.