Korean Job Discussion Forums

[karenology]

I posted this in an earlier tax thread, but wasn't getting any replies (probably because it is an old thread). hoping that someone can read this and help me.

Here's my situation: my school didn't withhold any Korean taxes this whole time I've been here, which is over two years, assuming I could get this form easily. Months ago -- February, in fact -- I applied for an 8802 form from the IRS to show I'm a U.S. citizen. I didn't think about it until November, when my school told me they still haven't received that form. I again applied for the form, and called and badgered the IRS about it, and still no form. I'm getting ready to leave in a week, and now the school is saying I will have to pay back the taxes. Fair enough; I just figured I'll pay them and get a refund. But then my co-teacher says to me that I owe a total of over 6 million won (!!!)

What can I do? I don't even *have* 6 million won. I've sent it back to pay debts, bought plane tickets, etc. I've confirmed from my co-teacher that this wasn't a translation error (as I thought before when she told me this amount, maybe she was getting "ten thousand" and "million" confused) - nope, the secretary ladies had called some tax office in Korea and confirmed that amount. I've asked around and no foreigner I've talked to has had to pay anywhere near that amount. Has anyone dealt with this situation, and what did you end up doing?

I ended up calling the IRS, and they say they won't be able to mail the form until the 24th - no way is it able to arrive before I leave. They did fax a copy of the form, which has the word "VOID" written all over it for legal reasons or something. I'm hoping that this works, but I don't know

[YTMND]

If you don't have the money, you don't have the money. Stall them and say you will pay as soon as you can. They might withhold your last pay and severance, that's about 66% of what you owe.

[12ax7]

Why didn't you know that taxes weren't being withheld?

[karenology]

I found out last February, which is when I initially applied for the form. I didn't follow up because I assumed my school had gotten the form within the last 10 months - my mistake.

Update for anyone else who ever finds themselves in this situation: Apparently the hold up on the IRS side is that the forms are printed in bulk on the 24th of each month. There's no way at all to expedite this process. You can, however, beg and plead with people at the IRS international office (if you can get a hold of them) to fax you a copy of it. The copy will say "VOID" all over it, but it turns out they will take the "VOID" fax, as long as the original is on its way.

[12ax7]

Getting the IRS form and paying Korean taxes are two separate matters. You can't use not getting one to excuse not doing the other.

So, since you've known for months that this was going on, why didn't you do anything about it?

[newb]

I suggest asking for tax forms that shows the calculation as to how they arrived at the amount of money that they say you owe on taxes.

I don't know how much you've been making but 6 million over two years is just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much if you were making standard EFL teacher's salary.