Before you start

An SSN or ITIN
Form W-4 with your employer for federal withholding
Records of foreign income and foreign financial accounts
No state withholding form — Texas has none

Step-by-step

1
Complete the W-4 on day one
This sets federal withholding and in Texas it is the only withholding form you will ever file. Getting it wrong is the most common cause of a surprise April bill, particularly in a two-income household where both W-4s are filled in independently.
Via employerWho: YouFirst week of employment
2
Determine your US tax residency
The substantial presence test counts weighted days over three years to decide whether the US taxes your worldwide income or only US-source income. Certain students and scholars are exempt from counting days for a period. Your visa category does not settle this.
OnlineWho: You
3
Check for an applicable tax treaty
The US has income tax treaties with around 70 countries that can reduce or exempt tax on particular income, especially for students, researchers and short assignments. Treaty benefits are claimed on your return rather than granted automatically — and with no state return, a Texas treaty position is far simpler than a California one.
OnlineWho: You
4
File your federal return by 15 April
The tax year is the calendar year and there is no Texas return to file. An extension moves the filing date, not the payment date — that distinction catches an enormous number of first-year filers.
OnlineWho: YouBy 15 April annually
5
File an FBAR if foreign accounts exceed $10,000
Aggregate foreign financial account balances above $10,000 at any point in the year trigger a FinCEN filing, separate from your tax return. A normal current account at home is often enough to cross the threshold.
OnlineWho: You
6
If you buy, file the homestead exemption immediately
The exemption reduces the taxable value of your primary residence and caps how fast the assessed value can rise. The school-district portion rose to $140,000 after voters approved it in November 2025. It is free to apply for, it is filed with the county appraisal district, and forgetting it costs thousands a year.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Form W-2 from each employer, issued by 31 January
Form 1099s for freelance, interest and investment income
Passport and travel history for the substantial presence day count
Foreign account statements for FBAR reporting
Property tax statements and the homestead exemption application, if you own

Things most newcomers don’t know

The property tax is the income tax, collected by a different route.

Combined rates from the stacked county, city, school, college and hospital levies run around 2.2–2.5% of taxable value in the Dallas area, among the highest in the country. On a $500,000 house that is roughly $11,000–12,500 gross, though a filed homestead exemption knocks $140,000 off the school-district portion and brings the real bill meaningfully below that. It still rises with the assessment. A Californian comparing 13.3% against 0% is making an incomplete comparison the moment they buy — and renters pay it too, embedded in the rent.

Source: Texas Comptroller — property tax overview

Which taxing jurisdictions overlay your address changes the bill materially.

Your rate is the sum of county, city, school district, community college and hospital district levies, and the Metroplex is a patchwork of six counties and dozens of independent cities and districts. Highland Park, Plano ISD and Dallas ISD sit within a few miles of one another with different rates and different school outcomes. Look up the specific parcel on the appraisal district site before signing anything.

Source: Dallas Central Appraisal District

The homestead exemption is worth thousands and people forget for years.

Filing for a homestead exemption on your primary residence reduces taxable value — the school-district portion rose to $140,000 for tax year 2025 after November's constitutional amendment — and caps annual increases in the assessed value at 10%. It is a one-off free application with the county appraisal district. Companies send official-looking letters offering to file it for a fee; you do not need them.

Source: Texas Comptroller — property tax exemptions

Your visa does not determine your tax residency.

The substantial presence test — a weighted day count across three years — decides whether the US taxes your worldwide income. Someone on a short temporary visa can be a US tax resident; someone on a long-duration visa can fail the test. Students and certain scholars are exempt from counting days for a defined period, which changes the answer completely in the first years.

Source: IRS — substantial presence test

Common mistakes to avoid

Comparing a Texas salary against a California or Oregon one on income tax alone.
Buying a home and failing to file the free homestead exemption.
Paying a company to file the homestead exemption you can file yourself in ten minutes.
Assuming your visa type settles your tax residency instead of applying the substantial presence test.
Believing a filing extension also extends the payment deadline — it does not.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.