Community Exchange

Hi.  We are evaluating our internal processes and tracking our non-resident alien employees (F-1, J-1, F-1 OPT, USMCA).  We are looking to see what other community colleges and universities are doing for best practices in tracking this information.  Key information, days in the USA, landing card dates, visa expiration, tax collections requirements/parameters.  Any information you could share would be greatly appreciated.   Are you outsourcing to a third-party or tracking it all internally?

Thank you,

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Kat Andrew
AVC of Finance
Metropolitan Community Colleges Administrative Center System Office
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Hello Kat,

We use a third party called Arctic International. It has been very effective for the past 10 years we have been using them.

Thank you,

Nnenna Ikwuagwu

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Nnennaya Ikwuagwu
Director Payroll Services
The University of Texas at San Antonio
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We also use Arctic International's Glacier product to track this.   

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Tracy Berman-Kagan
Controller
American University
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We have been using OneSource Tax Navigator to track.  We have been using for over 15 years and it has been very effective.  We have an interface between it and our payroll systems for applying the correct withholding and treaty benefits to our non-resident alien employees.

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Susan Clark
Sr Director of Tax
Emory University
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Hi Kat,

We have been using Sprintax software since 2022 and I love it.  It tracks all the items you stated and at year end the information transfers to the tax side for the students to prepare their tax returns.  I started working with NRAs in 2022 and Sprintax has been there to answer every question I have regarding why the system did or didn't do as I expected.  They have been there to explain the reasoning behind their analysis so that I could understand and grow in my knowledge base.  I highly recommend Sprintax.  Plus our students really appreciate the website and 24/7 assistance when needed.  

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Reina Moseley
Tax Manager
Elon University
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Hello Kat, 

We been using Arctic International since 2007.

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Nang Xiong
Tax Compliance Analyst
University of California, Davis
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I've used Artic International in the past and its really good, we now use Spintax and as a double check to track the treaties and withholding for 1042' purposes and even just to assess the individuals we use a SmartSheet that helps us track the individual and the withholding and payments. 

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Alberto Contreras
Director, Accounts Payable & Travel
California State University, Fullerton
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Hi Kat, We previously used Arctic, but switched to Sprintax Calculus because it allows campus admin access to records, offering more flexibility. Sprintax Calculus also provides modular reports, customizable filters, Single Sign-On access, and integration with major ERP systems, which has streamlined our processes. We considered OneSource Tax Navigator, but it required extra IT resources for hosting.  I'm not sure if they've migrated to a cloud-based model these days, but that was a consideration for us at the time.

Best of luck in your search! 

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Frank Gashi 
OHRM University Payroll 
The City University of New York (Central)

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Hi Kat - We use Arctic/Glacier. We are considering looking at other options, such as SprinTax. I definitely think Arctic has the expertise to answer any question that arises. However, the platform itself is inefficient in my opinion. It requires alot of action/attention from an administrative standpoint. Additionally, they don't have a state filing solution for NRAs. They do partner with SprinTax in this regard, but don't believe it integrates so the NRA has to re-enter everything. We are considering looking at other Happy to discuss further. tcatrett@southalabama.edu

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Lewis Catrett
Director, Tax Accounting and Special Projects
University of South Alabama
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Hi Kat, We have migrated to Sprintax about an year ago here at the GWU.  It has been work great for us.  Feel free to reach out if you need any further information.

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Sonia Singh
Managing Director
The George Washington University
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Hi Kat - 

We just switched from using Artic/Glacier to Sprintax this year. Both are effective solutions, but we were having some issues with customer service/responsiveness from Glacier. Sprintax's team has been great and my teams seem to like the Sprintax interface and ability to query much better. 

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Jacquelyn Martin
Assistant Controller
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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