Tax
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Who taxes you, how much, and what you have to file each spring.
Federal and state income tax — who taxes whatYou can be taxed twice on the same income: once by the IRS, once by your state. A handful of states levy no income tax at all, which is why the same salary goes further in some places.
Filing a US tax return — forms and deadlinesReturns are normally due by 15 April for the previous calendar year. Employees get a W-2; contractors and freelancers get 1099s and must set their own tax aside — nobody withholds it for them.
Tax residency, the substantial presence test and treatiesYour immigration status and your TAX status are different things. The substantial presence test can make you a US tax resident — taxed on worldwide income — even on a temporary visa.
The ITIN: how to file taxes when you can't get an SSNNo SSN doesn't mean no tax obligations. The IRS issues an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) so you — and a spouse or dependents — can file. It's a tax number only, not work permission.