U.S. Federal Income Tax Assistance

Special notice regarding IRS email scams!

To assist you in filing 2012 income tax returns, the International Admissions and Services office has purchased a limited number of licenses for a user-friendly, Web-based tax preparation software program called GLACIER Tax Prep (formerly CINTAX). 

GLACIER Tax Prep is a tax return preparation system designed exclusively for foreign students, scholars, researchers, trainees and their dependents who are nonresident aliens to aid in preparing U.S. federal income tax forms 1040NR and 1040NR-EZ. It takes most people about twenty minutes to complete and print a tax return using GLACIER Tax Prep.

You are eligible for a password to access GLACIER Tax Prep if you are a current international student or scholar at WMU, if you were an international student or scholar at WMU during the 2012 tax year, or if you are a recent WMU graduate on OPT or Academic Training during the 2012 tax year.

Please note that University staff cannot provide any tax advice or support for GLACIER Tax Prep, but we are confident that you'll find GLACIER Tax Prep, with its clear format and many helpful menus, easy to use to prepare your federal income tax return.

In addition to filing your federal income tax return, you may also need to file a state income tax return. The State of Michigan Department of Treasury offers links to software companies offering tax preparation and e-filing services. Look for “state only” offers because the non-resident federal tax return cannot be e-filed, and be sure that the non-resident's form (Michigan Schedule NR) is available.  Some of the offers may be free of charge for you. Please scroll down and choose one that fits your needs.

Please note that the School District Code for form MI-1040 for international students is 10000. Residency status for an international student is considered nonresident for the Michigan return. Also note that international students do not qualify for the state property tax credit when calculating their state tax liability.

Other Resources

U.S. tax forms: Download forms from the Internal Revenue Service.

Income tax treaties: Full texts of tax treaties between the US and foreign countries and the related U.S. Treasury Department Technical Explanation on the IRS website.

If you experience problems accessing this software, please write: wmu-international@wmich.edu