All international employees and certain international students who receive a stipend must attend a meeting with the International Tax Office soon after they arrive at CU. 

The International Tax Office exists to help international employees and students make sense of their U.S. tax obligations. The tax responsibilities for international employees are different from U.S. citizens and your tax responsibilities will depend on your personal history of immigration and U.S. presence.  We'll make sure you're on the right track.

A meeting with the International Tax Office is mandatory for all new international employees and international students who receive a stipend paid through the University of Colorado's payroll system.

This meeting will be conducted virtually using teleconferencing software. Although the meetings are conducted remotely, international employees and students must still wait until arrival in the U.S. before attending this meeting. Some of the documentation necessary for your appointment will only be issued upon entry into the U.S.

International employees and students do not need to have a Social Security Number (SSN) to attend this meeting.

Appointments with the International Tax Office fill up fast, so it may take several weeks to schedule your meeting. Because of this, international employees and students should schedule a meeting as soon as possible.

  Schedule your appointment

Meet the International Tax Team

Introducing CU's International Tax Office

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Prepare for your meeting

International employees and students must complete three tasks before meeting with an international tax specialist: take two online courses, submit immigration documents through secure upload and gather travel history to bring the appointment.

Before the scheduled tax appointment, international employees and stipend recipients must complete the following courses on the U.S. tax system and Form W-4. These courses include background information to provide a basic understanding of topics that will be discussed during the meeting. 

U.S. Income Tax System Overview

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Form W-4 Overview

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You must also upload documents through secure document submission including:

  Submit secure documents

Finally, you should gather details about your history of U.S. presence to bring to the appointment, including:

  • dates of previous U.S. visits in any status other than business (B-1, VWB) or tourism (B-2, VWT)
  • specific dates of U.S. presence during the current and previous two calendar years

These details will be used, along with your documents, to determine and document U.S. tax residency status. 


After your meeting

The International Tax Office is available to help beyond this initial meeting.

Whether your immigration status changes, your program dates change, you decide to take steps to establish residency in the U.S, or you just have questions about your pay and taxation, the International Tax Office has the knowledge and resources to help.

International employees and students may contact the International Tax Office with additional questions, concerns or updates by emailing intltax@cu.edu