California residency

• If you are not a California resident, there are things you will want to start as soon as possible so when you apply for residency you are more likely to get approved. This is important since your graduate funding only covers the first year of non-resident tuition (since it takes one year to get CA residency). More information can be found here: https://registrar.berkeley.edu/tuition-fees-residency/residency-for-tuition-purposes/residency-requirements-graduate-students/. 

• Below are things you need to remember to do BY THE END OF THE FALL SEMESTER:

  • • • • Change your driver's license (THE SOONER THE BETTER)

        • Update your voter registration (this will come automatically with updating your license)

        • Update your vehicle registration

• WHEN YOU FILE TAXES:

  • • • • Make sure to pay income taxes in California! Claim that you are a resident of California! 

• WHEN YOU FILL OUT THE STATEMENT OF LEGAL RESIDENCY

  • • • • Make sure to say that you do want to live in California after your education, this will help show you have intent to be a resident here. 

Useful links

• This is a great website for doing taxes as a graduate student: https://pfforphds.com/prepare-grad-student-tax-return/

• The IRS on fellowships: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc421

• The IRS on education (this PDF gets cited a lot): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf 

• Berkeley's billing office: https://studentbilling.berkeley.edu/faq-page