✓ Expert Review ✓ 100% Satisfaction ✓ 4+ Years Experience recovering FICA refunds

Claim Your FICA Tax Refund

F-1 and OPT holders: If you paid Social Security or Medicare taxes, you may be entitled to a refund.

Free calculator • No credit card required • Get estimate in 2 minutes

💰
$3,765
Average Refund
$3,240

"I had no idea I was owed money! The process was so easy. Got my refund in 8 weeks!"

👩‍💻
Priya K.
USC Graduate
$4,125

"Even after leaving the US, they helped me claim my refund. Smooth and professional!"

👨‍💼
Ahmed S.
Columbia MBA
$2,890

"I was confused about taxes as an F-1 student. They handled everything and I received $2,890!"

👨‍🎓
Chen W.
MIT Student

Calculate Your Refund

Estimate in 2 minutes

We need this because presence for more than 5 years in the U.S. with F-1/J-1 status disqualifies you from the FICA exemption.

2 years

Enter the amount from Box 1 of your W-2 form (total wages). If you don't have your W-2, you can find it in your email, on your employer's payroll system (e.g., Workday), or by contacting your employer's HR/payroll department.

If you're not sure, we can help you determine this.

If you're not sure, we can help you determine this.

Step 1 of 8

How It Works

1

Calculate & Pay

5 minutes

Estimate your refund and pay the service fee ($99 per tax year or $89 per year for multiple years).

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2

We File For You

2-4 weeks

We review your case, prepare, and file the required forms and documentation with the IRS.

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3

Receive Your Refund

10-24 weeks

If accepted, IRS sends your refund check directly to you.

Typical timeline: 10-24 weeks total

*Timeline may vary depending on IRS processing times. No timeline is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions

As a nonresident alien for tax purposes, you may be exempt from FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes. This exemption commonly applies to students and scholars in the following visa categories:

  • F-1, J-1, and M-1 Students: During your first five calendar years of physical presence in the U.S.
  • J-1 Teachers and Trainees: During your first two calendar years of physical presence in the U.S.

To be eligible for a refund, you must meet ALL of the following conditions:

  1. You were a nonresident alien for tax purposes during the year the taxes were withheld.
  2. You were present in the U.S. under one of the qualifying visa statuses.
  3. The wages on which FICA taxes were withheld were from authorized employment directly related to the purpose of your visa.
  4. FICA taxes were actually withheld from your pay (check Box 4 and Box 6 of your Form W-2).
  5. You have first requested a refund from your employer and were denied or did not receive a response.
  6. You have not already claimed these FICA taxes as a credit on your U.S. nonresident alien income tax return (Form 1040-NR).

If you meet all these criteria, you could be eligible for a FICA tax refund.

The total time to receive your FICA tax refund can vary significantly based on several factors. Here is a more detailed breakdown of the typical timeline:

  1. Employer Refund Request (1-2 months): Before you can file a claim with the IRS, you must first request a refund from your employer. You should allow your employer a reasonable amount of time (typically 30-60 days) to respond.
  2. Claim Preparation and Filing (1-2 weeks): Once you have documentation of your employer's denial or non-response, your claim can be prepared and filed with the IRS.
  3. IRS Processing (2-6 months): The IRS processing time for Form 843, Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement, can range from 8 to 24 weeks. This can be longer during peak tax season or if the IRS requests additional information.

Therefore, a more realistic total timeline, from initial employer contact to receiving your refund, is 4 to 9 months. Please note that this is an estimate, and we cannot guarantee a specific timeframe.

Yes, you can still claim a FICA tax refund even if you have already left the United States. The IRS can mail your refund check to a foreign address. However, there are a few important considerations:

  • Mail Delivery: International mail can be slow and unreliable. You may want to consider using a U.S. address of a trusted friend or family member, or a mail forwarding service.
  • Check Cashing: Cashing a U.S. Treasury check in a foreign country can be difficult and may involve high fees. Some banks may not accept them at all. You may want to explore options for depositing the check into a U.S. bank account if you still have one.

We have experience assisting clients who have already departed the U.S. and can help you navigate these challenges.

To file a complete and accurate FICA tax refund claim, you will need to provide copies of the following documents for each tax year you are claiming a refund:

  • Form W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement): From each employer that withheld FICA taxes.
  • Passport and Visa: A clear copy of your passport identification page and your U.S. visa.
  • Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record): Your complete travel history to and from the U.S. to verify your physical presence.
  • Immigration Documents:
    • For F-1 students: All pages of your Form I-20, including any pages showing CPT or OPT authorization.
    • For J-1 exchange visitors: All pages of your Form DS-2019.
    • For M-1 students: All pages of your Form I-20.
  • Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Card: If you worked on OPT.
  • Form 1040-NR (U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return): A copy of the federal income tax return you filed for the year of the claim.
  • Form 8843 (Statement for Exempt Individuals and Individuals with a Medical Condition): The form you filed with your tax return to support your nonresident alien status.
  • Proof of Employer Refund Request: Copies of your correspondence with your employer requesting the refund.

We can guide you in obtaining any missing documents, such as your I-94 records or proof of employer refund request.

Yes, claiming a refund of erroneously withheld FICA taxes is a legal and well-established process. The exemption for nonresident aliens on certain visas is provided for in the Internal Revenue Code (Section 3121(b)(19)). The IRS has a specific procedure for these claims, which involves filing Form 843, Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement, and Form 8316, Information Regarding Request for Refund of Social Security Tax Erroneously Withheld on Wages Received by a Nonresident Alien on an F, J, or M Type Visa.

Our service is designed so that your claim is prepared and filed in accordance with all applicable IRS rules and regulations.

Yes. All payments are processed through Stripe, a globally trusted payment platform that uses bank-level security and encryption. We never store your credit card information.

While we have a high success rate for eligible clients, there is always a possibility that the IRS may deny a claim. If your claim is rejected, we will first review the IRS's determination to identify the reason for the denial. If the denial is due to an error in our preparation of your claim, we will refund our service fee in full.

If the denial is due to your ineligibility (for example, if you were a resident alien for tax purposes), we will explain the IRS's reasoning to you.

Your eligibility depends on your visa status, not your employer type. Whether you worked for a university, private company, or any other organization, you may be eligible for a FICA refund if you were on an F-1 or J-1 visa and had FICA taxes withheld in error.

Your regular tax refund is for overpaid federal income tax and is claimed on your annual income tax return (Form 1040-NR for nonresident aliens). This is the tax that is calculated based on your income level and deductions.

A FICA tax refund is for the refund of Social Security and Medicare taxes, which are employment taxes that are withheld from your pay at a flat rate. These taxes are not part of the income tax system and cannot be claimed on your income tax return. Instead, they must be claimed through a separate process that involves first contacting your employer and then, if necessary, filing Form 843 with the IRS.

Yes, you can file a FICA tax refund claim yourself. The necessary forms are available for free on the IRS website. However, the process can be complex and requires careful attention to detail.

Our service is designed to simplify this process for you and increase the chances that your claim is filed correctly and with all the necessary supporting documentation, which can increase the likelihood of a successful and timely refund.

Yes, there is a strict deadline for filing a FICA tax refund claim. This is known as the statute of limitations. You must file your claim within the later of these two dates:

  • Three years from the date you filed your original income tax return for the year of the claim.
  • Two years from the date you paid the tax.

For most people, the deadline is effectively three years from the due date of the tax return. For example, for a 2022 tax return that was due on April 15, 2023, you would have until April 15, 2026, to file a FICA tax refund claim. It is crucial to file your claim before this deadline, as the IRS will not process late claims.

Our refund calculator provides an estimate based on the standard FICA tax rates (6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare, for a total of 7.65%). However, your actual refund amount will be the total of the amounts shown in Box 4 (Social Security tax withheld) and Box 6 (Medicare tax withheld) on your Form W-2.

Your actual refund may be different from the estimate if:

  • Your employer withheld taxes at a different rate.
  • You earned more than the Social Security wage base for the year, in which case you would only be refunded the Social Security tax up to that limit.

To get the most accurate refund amount, you should refer to your Form W-2s for the exact amounts of FICA taxes withheld.

Important IRS Notice: We have not received any official notices from the IRS or any other government agency suggesting that our services, or the process of claiming FICA tax refunds, violate any federal or state laws or regulations. Our service assists with the preparation and filing of Form 843 (Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement), which is the standard IRS form for requesting refunds of erroneously withheld FICA taxes as permitted under the Internal Revenue Code.

About RefundFICA

RefundFICA specializes in helping F-1 students and OPT holders recover FICA taxes that were incorrectly withheld. Our team of experts has recovered thousands of dollars for international students in the US.

We understand the complexity of international student tax law and have streamlined the process to make claiming your FICA refund simple and stress-free. We offer a money back guarantee if you are ineligible for a FICA Tax refund.