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Scholarship

Non-service payment to cover student expenses (Only amount above "tuition and related expenses" is subject to taxation).

What is the “Location of Activity” when processing a payment in Accounts Payable, and why is it important to include?

  • Generally, the location of the activity would be where a service is being performed, property is being rented, or the location where fellowship income is expected to be utilized in support of one’s scholarship or research.
  • Royalties, copyrights, and patents, such as those paid for the use of intellectual properties (i.e., industrial properties and software licenses), are considered U.S.-sourced if...
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I received a request to complete GLACIER, but I won't be entering the U.S. because of a COVID related delay impacting travel or obtaining required immigration documents. What should I do?

If you are unable to complete your GLACIER record, and/or submit the requested GLACIER information as a result of a COVID related delay in being unable to enter the U.S., please instead do so immediately after your arrival to the U.S. This is necessary to maintain compliance with US tax and immigration regulations

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Why didn't I receive a 1042-S tax reporting document for tax treaty benefits claimed last year, even though my fellowship/stipend/scholarship was not taxed?

Non-service fellowship income, in the absence of tax treaty benefits, is also exempt from tax withholding when paid to a resident alien. First, confirm your residency status, and only if you were a nonresident alien, last year, should you look into updating your mailing address and requesting a reprint of the document.

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Why didn’t I receive a 1042-S when I received a scholarship, stipend, fellowship, or grant?

If the Nonresident Alien Tax Office has classified you as a resident alien for tax purposes (a status based on your visa type and U.S. visa history), then you will not be receiving a 1042-S. As a resident alien, you are responsible for independently reporting your income to the U.S. tax authorities by referring to your personal pay records.

Alternatively, if your scholarship was less than your tuition and related expenses, it would have been reported on the 1098-T, not the 1042-S. Please contact the...

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Fellowship Payments

Fellowships, scholarships, and stipends are disbursed in support of personal research or studies. Such payments are often grouped together, for tax purposes, as "non-service fellowship" income, and may include "reimbursements" for travel or other incurred costs, if not deemed genuine University business expenses, i.e.in direct support of University research or scholarship.

Correctly distinguishing between fellowships and reimbursements has important ramifications for tax withholding and reporting as well as for the actual payment procedure.

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Making Payments

Use these guidelines to better understand payments to foreign individuals.

Harvard is required to follow:

  • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations that govern the taxation of payments to nonresident aliens, which differ from those that govern payments to U.S. citizens and resident aliens; and
  • Regulations set by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) when making payments to certain foreign scholars and students

These regulations, which can be complicated, determine the tax status and proper procedure for...

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Payments

Whether receiving or making payments, Harvard guidelines and U.S. tax/immigration regulations will influence the end result, including how the payment will be taxed. There are various compliance issues of which to be mindful, and numerous laws by which to abide, that will collectively determine the direction one should take. Work authorization, income category, visa type, tax residency status, and tax treaty eligibility are some of the many factors that influence how a payment to a foreign national should be processed.

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Stipend, Scholarship, Fellowship, or Grant

Stipends, scholarships, fellowships, and grants are meant to support personal research or studies.

Such income is often grouped together, for tax purposes, as "non-service scholarship/ fellowship" income. This may include also health insurance paid on behalf of non-employees and "reimbursements" for travel or other expenses that have not been deemed University business expenses.

  • If a scholarship recipient is a degree candidate at Harvard University, and all or part of the award has been set aside for qualified tuition and...
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Tax Treaties and Deadlines

DEADLINE TO CLAIM *NEW* TAX TREATY EXEMPTION FOR CURRENT CALENDAR YEAR 2020: If GLACIER determines you are possibly eligible to claim a tax treaty exemption, your complete GLACIER submission must be received by our office no later than Sunday, November 29th, 2020. This deadline is necessary due to IRS annual processing requirements and the short...

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Tax Withholding on Payments

Payments from Harvard University may be subject to taxation in accordance with regulations strictly enforced by the U.S. tax authorities (IRS/MassDOR). Harvard collects, or withholds, two types of tax: Federal/State and Social Security/Medicare (FICA), liability for which is based on several factors:

  • Your U.S....
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