#form 8802

Alright. Let’s get started. 

How this whole things works is that you’re basically filling out a form (8802) to get the form (6166) that you actually really need for this whole thing to work. It’s best to apply for the 6166 by filling out the 8802 about 45 days before your planned departure date as the processing period can take quite a while. 

Now let’s take a look at the form and break down some of the terminology. It might seem daunting, but fear not; take a deep breath, sip some Soju (or water), and relax. You’re an adult. You got this. 

The “U.S. taxpayer identification number” is basically just a fancy way of saying Social Security Number. So whenever you see that, just put in your SSN. 

1. Ignore the upper portion for now that’s not numbered. We’ll go back to that later once we’re done with everything else. Start off with line 1. In this section, simply put in your full name and SSN (Social Security Number).

2. For line 2, just put your current permanent address. I live with my moms and pops, so I just entered our address. Don’t write a P.O. Box number though. The IRS doesn’t like P.O. boxes. They want to make sure that you’re living in the U.S., so make sure you put down a residential address.

3. For line 3a, just put down where you want your form 6166 mailed to. I used the same address that I put down for line 2. Line 3b is optional, but if you want peace of mind, in case things go awry for some reason and you don’t get the form in time before you leave, you can assign an appointee that can then forward you the form 6166 once they get it. In my case, I listed my dad as an appointee. Just put down your appointee’s name and phone number in line 3b if you choose to have one. 

4. WOW! Look at all them boxes and options. But don’t let them scare you; simply select the ones that apply to you. I checked option a (individual) and U.S. citizen because that’s what I am. 

Oh my! We’re finally done with the first page. Take a quick little break. Get up off that chair. Do some stretching. Sip some more Soju (or water). Watch a funny YouTube clip. Cook a meal. You deserve a little break after all of that confusion! But you survived! Are you ready for two more pages? Good! Because I AM! 

5. Before you fill out this line, don’t forget to look up and put your name on the line that says “Applicant Name.” Done? Okay. Did you work and file for taxes last year? If yes, choose the type of tax form that you filed last year and put a check mark in the box that applies to you. In my case, I filed using the 1040 form. If you were a student and didn’t work last year, check other and write “student.”

6. If you said “Yes” and filed last year, you can ignore this line and leave it blank; however, if you said “No” and you were a dependent on your parents’ income taxes, you’ll need to enter what kind of tax form they filed, the parent’s name and address under which you’re a dependent, and the parent’s social security number. 

7. Put the current year. In my case, it’s 2016, and I’m applying for the certification this year. 

8.  For this line, it’s basically the year that you’re basing the certification on. You’re basing the certification on last year’s taxes, so put in last year’s tax period. The format is basically YYYYMM. I filed taxes on 2015, and the last month of the year is 12, so I just put 201512.

9. This one is really easy. Just check the box “Income tax.”

10. But not everything in life easy, so here’s line 10 to make life complicated for you. Just kidding haha! It’s not too hard. The statement that you’ll provide will vary on your own personal circumstances. I didn’t have my contract dates yet, so I just used the “individual” statement. Mine was: “This certification is given under penalties of perjury and to the best of my knowledge and belief, the statements are true, correct, and complete.” After I wrote that, I included the individual statement: “[my name] [my SSN] is a U.S. resident and will continue to be throughout the current tax year.” After all that, simply sign and print your name, put down today’s date, and then put down your phone number. 

Boom badadim badaboom! BAM! You’re done with the second page. Wipe that sweat off your brow, homie. You’re going places! Take another break. Might as well finish that entire bottle of Soju (or water). Go walk your dog, cat, or dragon. Cook another meal. Do some push ups. Water the plants. Watch another funny YouTube clip. Done? Arighty, home skillet. We back at it again for Round 3, baby. Time to complete the last page!

Start off by putting your name and SSN.

 If you listed an appointee, also include their name here.

 For calendar year, simply put the same thing you answered on line 7. In my case, 2016. 

11. Now. On this line, you’ll basically put the number of years you wish to be certified in a country. In my case, I only wished to be certified in South Korea, so I put a 5 on Korea, South (KS). I basically was confused on this part, to be honest. I understand that the tax exemption is only good for 2 years, but I plan on staying in Korea for longer than 2, so I just put 5 to be safe. 

12. Just add up all the certifications you requested. In my case, it was 5 for Korea, so I just put down 5 as the answer. 

Ayyyyyeee. You did it! You completed the last page! Now. It’s time to go back to the first page and fill out that upper portion! Put your name in “Applicant’s name” and your SSN in “Applicant’s U.S. taxpayer identification number.” The two boxes at the very top didn’t really apply to me, so I just left those blank. They shouldn’t apply to you too, but look over the instruction sheet just to make sure. 

Now, it’s time to pay for the form. Before you send the form away, it has to be paid for. The fee to process the 8802 form is a non-refundable $85.00. You can pay using a variety of payment methods: check, money order, or electronic payment (debit/credit card). For me, I found the electronic payment to be the most convenient, so that’s how I paid for mine. I’ll only be sharing the steps on how to perform the electronic payment since that’s what I used. If you wish to pay using a different method, please refer to the instruction sheet for Form 8802. 

1. First thing you’ll want to do is visit the payment page for the 8802 form. The very first thing you’ll see, IRS Certs, is the payment form that you’ll want to access. Go ahead and click it. 

2. Go ahead and go through that form, answering relevant information. 

3. Once you’ve finished and submitted your payment, you will receive an electronic confirmation number for the transaction. Enter that electronic confirmation number on the first page of the 8802 form that says “Electronic payment confirmation no.” You can use either the Agency Tracking ID or the Pay.gov ID as your electronic confirmation number. Once you’ve completed the payment and entered the confirmation number on your form, you may now send the Form 8802 to the IRS.  

Note that different payment methods will require a different address for you to send the form to. For electronic payments, refer to page 3 of the instruction sheet for Form 8802. Alrighty! Go ahead and send the completed form! 

Congratulations, homie! You did it! It wasn’t as hard as you thought it would be, right? It just requires some patience. I hope this post helped you with filling out this form. Thanks again to Shimmering Seoul for inspiring me to write this guide. I wish y’all the best, and I hope y’all receive your Form 6166 forms right away! This is the form that you’ll be bringing with you to give to your school.