Foreign Nationals
Tax Assessment
All Foreign Nationals who are going to be employed on campus or who will be receiving a fellowship, scholarship, and certain payments processed through the University Controller’s office are required to have a tax assessment.
A tax assessment is a review of your tax liability in the United States based on treaties that the US has with other nations. In many cases you may be exempt from paying some, if not all, US taxes, however, you will not be eligible for these exemptions until you have your tax assessment. You should request a tax assessment as soon as you know that you are (1) going to be employed on campus or (2) receiving a fellowship/scholarship, or (3) receiving payments from the University Controller’s office.
Schedule a Tax Assessment Appointment
A tax assessment is a requirement of your employment and must be completed prior to you receiving your first paycheck.
****Special Note: If you are in J-1 or H1B status please email ietquestions@ncsu.edu directly for an appointment.****
Social Security Number
A Social Security number (SSN) is a number issued by the U.S. Federal government for tax purposes. All students and scholars who are currently employed are required to apply for an SSN. Students in F-1 or J-1 status who are not currently employed are not eligible to apply for an SSN. F-2 dependents are not eligible for an SSN; J-2 dependents are only eligible if they’ve applied for and received work authorization from USCIS. The SSN is NOT required to obtain an NC State driver’s license or to open a bank account with some financial institutions.
NOTE: New international students/scholars must first attend a scheduled check-in with OIS before applying for an SSN so OIS can activate/validate the SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019 record. After check-in OIS recommends the student or scholar to wait at least five days before applying for the SSN. OIS also recommends that new students/scholars wait 10 days after arrival to the U.S. before applying since the Social Security Administration must confirm the port-of-entry details posted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the port of entry (there is a delay of up to 10 days for that interface to occur).
For more information on applying for your social security number, visit: https://internationalservices.ncsu.edu/social-security/
NOTE: For Social Security Number purposes, students will still need to take a printed approved letter and obtain ink signatures before visiting the Social Security Office. Students have full access to all of their signed T&Cs that have been processed through NextGen, for as long as they are a student. To view their signed T&C, they can go to Main Menu > Employee Self Service > Payroll and Compensation > View T&C Documents. They will see a entry for each T&C that was signed through NextGen. They can open to view the T&C and print it on ECE Letterhead and obtain their supervisor/advisor’s original ink signature.