US Student in Canada

JFrost · Post by **JFrost** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:39 am

Hi,

Well, it's best to prepare far ahead as it will be my first time I file my own taxes without having the parents to do it for me. Obviously, for the first time filer, some confusions are inevitable.

I'm a little mixed up. I'm a US student in Montreal and I've been in and out of the country during 2008. I lived in Canada for eight months total during that year. I worked for the summer in the USA from May to August and I also worked in Canada from October to November (it was a stressing job... Long story...). I am not a permament resident however, and my permement address is still in the USA. I'm on student and off-campus work permits.

I know I have to file the taxes to federal and provincial governments (since I live in Quebec after all). And I do know I have to file taxes to the USA and state. But the moment of confusion is how can I declare my total income coming from two countries in the same year? Do I have to show the IRS my RL and T4 slips as well? Or should I just put my Canadian income without any proof? RL is in French, so it may present some problem with the IRS. So I suppose the T4 should be good enough, no? Plus, I received $2000 scholarship from my university. How can I put that in my form(s)?

I will very much appreciate knowing which form(s) I may have to fill out and which guides I may have to read.

Finally, one more question, am I allowed to use my Canadian address in the form(s) instead of my US address (which is my parents' house)? I am not planning to return to the USA for another summer job at this moment. I expect to be in Canada until July perhaps.

Thank you!

-JF

nelsona · Post by **nelsona** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:15 am

The IRS doesn't require submission of any forms other than your US W-2's.

Your US tax return will report all income.

Your Cdn/QC returns will only report all income from the day you moved to Canada. You will put the arrival date on your form page 1.

The CRA has a Student's guide to assist you in filling your Cdn taxes.

If you want to claim some credits on your US return, you need to get your school to provide you with the necessary IRS forms.