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    amt80's Avatar
    amt80 Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    May 15, 2008, 06:53 AM
    Previous student J1 (did not work), now scholar J1 (tax exempt?)
    Hi All,

    I am a research scholar from Australia on a J1 Visa. I arrived in the US in February 2008 and this is the first time I have worked here. I previously spent time in the US as a student for one semester on a J1 visa from the end of 2003 to May 2004. During my time as a student in the US I did not work, pay tax, or receive any income from anyone in the US.

    Am I able to get a federal tax exemption? I read on a university site that J1 Scholars can claim their first two calendar years OR two calendar years within their first six years.

    Can anyone help me with this?

    THANK YOU!
    AtlantaTaxExpert's Avatar
    AtlantaTaxExpert Posts: 21,836, Reputation: 846
    Senior Tax Expert
    		  
    #2

    May 15, 2008, 06:57 AM
    Unfortunately, I believe your first stint in 2003 - 2004 under the J-1 visa USED UP the two-year exemption that is normally granted to all J-1 visa holders.

    Contact your University HR department and have them research the issue.
    amt80's Avatar
    amt80 Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #3

    May 15, 2008, 07:08 AM
    Thanks for your fast response! I actually have contacted the HR department, and it has taken them 3 months to give me any useful information. They are hard to communicate with, so I thought I would try and investigate it myself to make sure. It seems crazy that although I haven't worked in the US I still have to pay the same as those that have been here for 2 years. *sigh* Oh well.. :)
    AtlantaTaxExpert's Avatar
    AtlantaTaxExpert Posts: 21,836, Reputation: 846
    Senior Tax Expert
    		  
    #4

    May 15, 2008, 10:01 AM
    No one has EVER said the tax laws for foreign nationals are fair.

    But they ARE the law!
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