Sprintax TDS (Tax Determination System) is a software program provided by Illinois State University to assist students present in the United States on an immigration status with determining their U.S. tax residency status and possible eligibility for tax treaty benefits.

The United States has a “pay-as-you-go” method of taxation, where taxes are withheld from certain payments and paid over to the various taxing agencies. Certain payments made by Illinois State University to students may be subject to these withholding requirements.

However, the United States has a number of income tax treaties with other countries, some of which include provisions allowing the University to reduce or eliminate the rate of withholding from payments made to students. Certain requirements must be met and certain documentation must be provided to the University before these treaty benefits can be applied. Sprintax TDS assists students with completing the required documentation for claiming any available treaty benefits.

The most common taxable payments made by the University to its students include wages earned from a campus job and scholarships for room and board or other living expenses (please note, scholarships for tuition only are not taxable). If you are a student who has a campus job or is receiving a scholarship for room and board, Sprintax TDS can assist with determining whether any treaty benefits are available to lower or eliminate the withholding of taxes on your payments.

Students present in the United States on an immigration status who are working on campus or receive a scholarship for room and board or other living expenses, will receive an email from Sprintax TDS inviting you to log-on and complete your Sprintax TDS profile.

The email is distributed from the address “noreplay@sprintax.com” with the subject line “Welcome to Sprintax Tax Determination System” and the following text:

Hello,

Welcome to TDS, an innovative, paper-free way to manage all your tax-related documents.

Please follow this link to create your password. If you can’t click the link – please copy the address and paste it in your browser’s address bar:

https://tds.sprintax.com/reset-password/

Log into your profile to confirm and update your details. For more information – please contact the live chat team through TDS or send us an email to tds@sprintax.com.

Regards,

Sprintax TDS

Assistance in completing your Sprintax TDS profile is available via a live chat function in the Sprintax TDS software. Also, Sprintax hosts a number of video tutorials that explain the process and guide you through the software.