International Student and Scholar Services

Social Security Numbers

Florida Tech students and scholars who are actively employed on campus need to apply for a Social Security card for the purposes of filing taxes at the end of the year.

SSNThe Social Security number is used by the U.S. government to identify wage earners for tax purposes. The number assigned by Florida Tech to new international students and scholars is not a valid U.S. social security number. If you are an international student in the United States, go to www.ssa.gov/pubs/10181.html for some helpful information. Please note that at this time students are not eligible to apply for a social security number unless they have secured on-campus employment.

You should wait until you have been in the United States at least 10 days before applying for a Social Security number. This will allow for enough time for your immigration information to be entered into the system, which is then verified by the Social Security office.

Take the following documents with you to the Social Security Administration Office:

It may take two weeks or more for your Social Security card to arrive in the mail. Keep your Social Security card in a safe place. Theft of SSN numbers is not uncommon and may allow the thief to use your identity to establish credit, sign contracts or purchase items for which you could be liable.

Miscellaneous Information about Social Security Numbers and Taxation

As soon as you receive your Social Security number, it is your responsibility to give this number to all appropriate university offices, specifically Human Resources and the Controller’s office. In order to ensure you are taxed correctly, Florida Tech is required to collect data from international students and scholars on their citizenship, country of residence, length of stay in the United States, etc. You will receive an e-mail (sent to your new Florida Tech e-mail account) from the Office of the Controller, providing you with a user name and password to access the Windstar Foreign National Information System (FNIS) Web site. Please be sure to visit the FNIS site and enter the requested information. This is in your best interests, as you may be eligible for certain tax treaty exemptions. If you do not receive an e-mail within the first few weeks of the semester, please contact Lynn Mallak in the Controllers Office at 674-8055, lmallak@fit.edu.

IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN)

Foreign nationals not authorized to work in the United States because of the type of visa they hold are not eligible for Social Security numbers. However, these individuals are eligible to apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). To apply for an ITIN, complete IRS Form W-7.

October 22, 2007