Tax Information for Finnish Citizens

As a Finnish recipient of an award from The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF), you may or may not be obligated to pay U.S. taxes on your fellowship or grant. Your tax obligations will depend on a number of factors including whether or not you are a degree candidate, your visa status and what expenses your award will cover.

Below are the steps you need to take in order to determine what your U.S. tax obligations may be. All Finnish fellows must complete Steps 1 through 3, and based on the information provided you will be directed to further steps depending on your individual circumstances.

Step 1: Obtain a U.S. Social Security Number or ITIN

Step 2: Calculate your educational expenses

In order to determine your U.S. tax liability, you must calculate your educational expenses for each semester covered by your ASF award. This includes anticipated figures for the following:

1) Tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at an educational organization

and

2) Fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses of instruction at your educational institution.

Please note that personal living expenses such as rent, food costs, etc. cannot be considered as educational expenses.

Once you have calculated these expenses, you can determine your U.S. tax liability based on these figures and your personal circumstances.

Step 3:
Click on the category to which you belong for further instructions:

Candidate for Degree

Non-degree candidate
This includes post-doctoral scholars, independent scholars, artists, etc.

After Award Payment:

If your award is taxable:
If it is determined that your award will be taxed, you are required to file an annual tax form in the United States. Most fellows will be able to use Form 1040-NR-EZ entitled "U.S. Income Tax Return for Certain Nonresident Aliens With No Dependents". (Note: if you do have dependents, you will have to use the longer form 1040NR. In any case, be sure to read the directions carefully to ensure you are using the correct form for your personal circumstances.) If the ASF award is your only income subject to U.S. taxation, the return must be filed by June 15, 2008 for award money received during 2007. If you were an employee and received wages subject to U.S. withholding, the return must be filed by April 15, 2008. By March 15, 2008, we will send you Form 1042-S, which indicates the amount of taxable income paid to you for the calendar year 2007. This is the amount you will report as taxable income on your Tax Return Form (1040-NR-EZ or 1040NR). See Form 1040-NR-EZ Instructions for complete details.

Remember that your Tax Return Form must be filled out, signed and dated and returned to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (and not to the ASF)!

If your award is not taxable:
If no tax has been withheld from your award and you do not receive a Form 1042-S from the ASF, you have no filing obligations to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

For additional guidance in learning about your U.S. tax obligations, you may want to consult IRS on-line publication 519

"U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens"

If you have any additional questions about the taxability of your award, please contact the ASF fellowships and grants department (grants@amscan.org).