International Payee

When should I update my Sprintax Calculus record?

Updates to your immigration status, residency, certain biographical information, and obtaining a U.S. tax ID can greatly impact accurate tax withholding or reporting to federal and state government agencies. It's important that you act with urgency to maintain all of your records at Harvard, which includes Sprintax Calculus.

Examples of required Calculus updates include: extensions to your immigration status, changes in the type of income you will receive from Harvard, obtaining a new U.S. tax ID number, changes in your country of residency or permanent address, etc. If any...

Working in States Outside of Massachusetts

If an employee has been approved for flexible work, in a Harvard Registered Payroll State, they must have taxes (where applicable) withheld for that state. Harvard expects individuals regularly and consistently working 20% or more of their time in a registered payroll state to allocate their time to that state for tax withholding...

Schedule 1:1 Virtual Appointment with a member of International Payee Tax Compliance Team

How should I answer questions in Calculus if I have no U.S. presence in the current calendar year but expect payments from Harvard for US activities that occurred in a prior year?

If you were unable to complete Sprintax Calculus before the end of the calendar year that corresponds to your recent visit to Harvard, and you are expecting payments relating to that visit, then you will need to indicate at least 1 day present in the U.S. this calendar year to complete your Sprintax Calculus profile.

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Official Sprintax.com Blog

Required Documents by Immigration Status

Depending on immigration status, international payees may need different documents. The table below contains common examples.

Table 1: Commonly Seen Immigration Statuses and Accompanying Immigration Documents
Commonly Seen Immigration Statuses	Accompanying Immigration Documents
B-1 for Business (...

Documents You May Need to Complete Your Sprintax Calculus Profile

Sprintax will list the documents you need to provide at the bottom of your Tax Summary Report under "Supporting Documents (Copies)." In addition to the documents listed on this page, there may also be additional documents depending on immigration status. See Required Documents by Immigration Status for common examples.

Commonly Needed Documents

The list below shows some commonly required immigration documents at Harvard. The specific documents you will need to provide depend on your...

Sprintax Calculus

Notes on Two-factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication is required to use Sprintax Calculus's E-Sign function.
Once you enable two-factor authentication, the same method will also be required to log in to Sprintax Calculus during future logins.
If you enabled two-factor authentication, please keep the...

Which W-8 Form do foreign entities need to submit to Harvard in order to be set-up for payment as a vendor?

There are 3 forms Harvard is able to accept from a foreign entity to be set-up to receive payments as a supplier (W-8 BEN-E, W-8 EXP, or W-8 ECI). Information on the various forms can be found on the Foreign Entities and W-8 Forms page. We are unable to advise on which form should be used, as this is a individual business decision a supplier must make based on their legal structure, and in consultation with a professional tax advisor if necessary.

Foreign Entities and W-8 Forms

As a withholding agent, Harvard University is required by the IRS to collect the appropriate W-8 form from any foreign entity to establish the entity's foreign status. These forms are a direct result of government regulations associated with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). In addition to the payment details provided when transactions are being processed to a foreign entity, these...

Tax Filing

If you received U.S.-source income, you are required to file an annual tax return (such as 1040NR,1040NR-EZ, 1040, 1040EZ, etc.) with:

the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (in some cases)

If you were in the U.S. last year on anything other than a B visa or visa waiver, and did not receive any U.S. sourced income, you may only need to file a simple tax statement (8843) with the U.S. federal tax authority (IRS). For more information, see ...

Why didn't I receive a 1042-S tax reporting document for tax treaty benefits claimed last year, even though my fellowship/stipend/scholarship was not taxed?

Non-service fellowship income, in the absence of tax treaty benefits, is also exempt from tax withholding when paid to a resident alien. First, confirm your residency status, and only if you were a nonresident alien, last year, should you look into updating your mailing address and requesting a reprint of the document.

Tax Treaty Renewal

Please note: In January 2024, Harvard launched Sprintax Calculus as our tax determination software for international payees (non-U.S. individuals and entities). This software replaced Glacier. Visit our Sprintax Calculus page for more information and resources.

Per IRS regulations, tax treaties must be renewed annually for employees that will continue their work for Harvard in the U.S., into the next calendar year 2024. To meet these requirements and claim a tax treaty exemption for 2024 (if previously...

If Harvard has classified me as a resident alien, can I choose to still be treated as a nonresident alien by claiming a closer connection to my home country?

Harvard will continue to treat you as a U.S. resident alien, even if you're able to claim a closer connection to another country. You'll have to establish the closer connection through the IRS when filing your tax returns.

IRS commentary on FICA tax liability