If you need help filling our your J1 Taxback please don’t hesitate to contact us. Remember you can claim you Social Security and Medicare for up to 5 years. If you are a J-1 researcher, and on a longer stay than a typical college student who goes to the US for 4 months, you can claim exemption for up to 18 months.

• Your W-2 Form from each employer you worked for.
• A final payslip from each employer.
• A copy of your SSN (Social Security Number) Card.
• A copy of your J1 Visa, this should be in your passport.
• A copy of your DS-2019 Form (formerly known as the IAP66), this is a Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status.

J1 Tax Returns 2008

The most important forms for your J1 tax claim are :

• Form W-2, which is a Wage and Tax Statement
• Final Payslip

If you don’t have your W-2 form anymore TaxBack.com can apply on your behalf to get a new one issued. You need this and your SSN (Social Security Number) when submitting. Remember, that more information you provide, the more likely that your tax back claim will be processed faster. Once you have submitted your details, we will send you out a pack where you can enclose copies of some of the forms.

Submitting J1 Tax Claim Offline

To submit your tax return off line :

1. Just simply click on the icon below
2. Download the document
3. Print off the 9 pages
4. Fill out the sections as much as you can.
5. Post it to us in either to Chicago USA or Dublin, Ireland if you live in Europe.

Download the documentation

Again you should allow 3 to 6 weeks for processing before you can expect to get your tax return cheque. In fact submitting all the forms like this will speed up your application and it should be completed sooner !

1. FICA (Social Security Tax, figured at 6.2% of the first $97,500 of wages)
2. Medicare (health insurance, can be separate depending on your provider, and is 1.45% of all wages)
3. State tax (taxes that go to the state you live in, some states don’t have this. Rates can vary)
4. Local tax (taxes that go to the local authorities, like your city that you live in. Rates can vary.)
5. Federal tax (taxes that go to the federal government, rates depend on your salary.

J1 visa holders are exempt from FICA (Social Security or Medicare) taxes for two years . This more than covers the length that a typical J1 student will stay in the USA. You need to make sure that you are registered as a non-resident. Once you are a non-resident you start to get an exemption on your deductions.On your wages slip you should see itemized deductions.

Start the process

Once your return to your home country, it’s possible to file for a return of these taxes. Typical processing time can take up to 2 months, so it’s important that you start your claim as soon as you come back.

J1 2007 Survey

Question: Are you Male or Female ?
Results:

• Male : 57%
• Female : 43%

Question: What this the first time you were ever in the United States of America ?
Results:

• Yes: 73%
• No: 27%

Question: Did you travel to the US alone ?
Results:

• Yes: 9%
• No: 91%

Question: Was your group mixed (male/female)
Results:

• Yes: 76%
• No : 24%

Question: Did you stay on the East Coast / West Coast / Central
Results:

• East Coast : 55%
• West Coast : 39%
• Central : 6%

Question: Did you manage to save money while on a J1 ?
Results:

• Yes: 45%
• No : 19%
• Came out even : 36%

Question: Did you stay with the original job you came out to do ?
Results:

• Yes: 67%
• No : 33%

Question: What age were you when you did the J1 ?
Results:

• 18: 4%
• 19 : 13%
• 20 : 42%
• 21 : 27%
• 22 : 11%
• 23+ : 3%

Question: How did you find the processing of your J1 Tax Return
Results:

• Fantastic, much better than expected : 14%
• Better than expected :34%
• Average / As expected: 31%
• Below Average: 18%
• Useless: 3%