Being an international student on F1 visa, I am a non-resident alien who cannot claim unemployment or SS benefits.
Currently I am working on an internship and my employer was not aware that FICA is not deducted from non-resident aliens and has been deducting it for a while now.
It was only recently, that I looked through my payslips to realize this has been happening.
I believe it is possible to:
- Let my employer know that FICA is not to be deducted
Ask my employer to issue me a "corrected W2" so that the FICA deductions so far are refunded to me?
Is this correct?
There is a second component to my query: my HR told me that although I can opt out of FICA now because of my current status, in the future, they plan to file a H1B (a work visa) for me and later a greencard so I can continue working with them.
FICA is supposedly deducted when on H1B and surely greencard stage onwards and my HR tells me it's beneficial to contribute to FICA as early as possible, even when you are not required to?
Is it legal for me to contribute to FICA now: will my current FICA contributions be deemed as valid later when I naturalize, although I am not a resident (for immigration purposes and not tax) now?
Is there a tangible benefit for me to contribute to FICA now, keeping at mind that I intend to naturalize a few years? (For example, be able to live off SS earlier or get a larger monthly check from the SSA because I have been contributing longer, or...)