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 If nonresident tax issues have you feeling confused, your world is about to change...
Introducing GLACIER — a totally new and different way to manage your nonresident alien tax liability and compliance — exclusively from Arctic International LLC. While we have a lot of information below, we can't possibly tell you everything you'll want to know on one page. If you really want to know if GLACIER is right for your institution, call us, call our clients, and take the demo so that you can experience GLACIER for yourself!
Before you read any further, we'd like to ask you... WHO Do You Want To Do All The WORK?
At Arctic International LLC, we believe the bulk of the work should be done by the
foreign national and your software system – not you, the administrator! We believe
the most efficient use of GLACIER is for as much as 80 percent of all data to be
entered directly by the foreign national. Who has time to conduct lengthy interviews with
all foreign payees, try to decipher their answers, spell everything correctly and re-type it?
Not our clients!
GLACIER allows an Institution Administrator to set up an Individual Record and notify the
foreign national via email to access GLACIER to provide the requested information. At
their leisure, your foreign nationals enter their data directly into GLACIER, using
simple-to-understand and cross-culturally sensitive questions – each screen has Online
Help and a direct link to the GLACIER Support Center. It generally takes about 20 minutes
for a foreign national to answer the questions. As he or she enters the data, GLACIER gives
immediate results – the questions asked on the following screens are based on the information
entered on the previous screens – thus simplifying an already confusing topic by only asking
for data applicable to the foreign national's specific situation. As soon as everything is entered,
all of the necessary forms are ready to print to submit to the Institution Administrator for review
and acceptance. Of course, you are still in CONTROL of the process and review - you're just not the
one doing the "busy work"!
Consider the time it now takes to: schedule an in-person interview, complete stacks of forms, re-type
data into screens (or review it from a "pending" upload as some systems do), or even manually calculate
the substantial presence test and attempt to review the language in an income tax treaty! Certainly
there will be some situations that require a follow-up interview, and some foreign nationals will
want to speak with the Institution Administrator, but when you consider that your data entry could be
reduced by 80 percent – we again ask, "Who do you want to do all the work?".. We thought so!
After years of working with colleges, universities, foundations, and other nonprofit and corporate
entities, Arctic International LLC has created GLACIER — the first-ever comprehensive
online tax compliance system. GLACIER enables Tax Managers and Institution Administrators to
begin the tax compliance process from the moment an institution invites a foreign national to come
to the U.S. GLACIER performs all relevant tasks including tax residency determination and
tracking, form completion, income tax treaty exemption determination and tracking, form completion,
income tax treaty exemption determination and monitoring, "tickler" reports, and year-end tax reporting.
Never before has tax compliance been so worry-free! Not only does GLACIER provide an unprecedented
level of confidence in your institution's tax compliance procedures, the system is designed to provide
the ultimate in time-savings and cost-effectiveness. We believe the most efficient use of GLACIER
is for as much as 80 percent of all data to be entered directly by the foreign national.
GLACIER is an interactive, comprehensive online tax compliance system, tailored to meet each
institution's needs. GLACIER is accessible to you and your foreign nationals whenever —
and from wherever — you need them; you can access the system from any web-accessed computer,
from any place in the world, at any time of the day or night! No nonresident alien tax software compares
to the power of GLACIER. It asks foreign nationals to complete easy-to-understand questions
that are relevant to the individual's specific situation, provide immediate feedback, and have friendly
Customer Support 24/7. Everything about GLACIER is securely stored on our servers; when an update
or enhancement is made, you receive an email notification and simply login to find the system updated and
ready to work for you. Neither require any IT support from you and don't risk corruption of or lost data,
viruses, or internal or external security breach.
While we love to talk about GLACIER, we suggest you talk to those who actually use it – so
that you get all the information you need before your make a decision. If you would like to speak with
some of our clients, just let us know.
GLACIER is an online tax compliance system designed to allow institutions to efficiently and effectively collect information, make tax residency and income tax treaty determinations, manage paperwork, maintain data, and file reporting statements with the IRS. GLACIER was built from scratch as a completely web-based system that incorporates the latest, cutting-edge methods for security, data transfer, and user-interface. As an online system, GLACIER provides more flexibility than a traditional desk-top application or a PC-based system to better meet the ever-changing needs of our clients.
GLACIER is an incredible tool for any institution that hosts and/or makes payments to foreign nationals, including:
- large public and multi-campus universities
- small private, public and community colleges
- research institutes and hospitals
- foundations and exchange organizations
- governmental agencies
GLACIER is accessible, secure, administratively efficient, and cost-effective.
GLACIER allows institutions to:
- achieve and maintain tax compliance with nonresident alien tax issues;
- manage tax liability;
- determine tax residency (perform the substantial presence test);
- evaluate income tax treaty articles with confidence, efficiency and speed;
- maintain data in an easily accessed and shared manner;
- generate ad-hoc and “tickler” reports quickly (and even set automatic reminders);
- control paperwork and supporting documents necessary in the event of a review;
- file Forms 1042 and 1042-S with the IRS;
- electronically post Forms 1042-S for the foreign nationals to easily retrieve; and
- update records and forms.
ALL in a simple, quick and cost-effective manner!
GLACIER is easy to use and easy to access. An institution's administrators, foreign students, scholars, employees and other international visitors simply log on to GLACIER from any web-accessed computer — from anywhere in the world at any time of the day or night. GLACIER presents easy-to-understand question-and-answer screens to allow foreign nationals to quickly and easily enter their information and print their forms. As the individual completes the questions, GLACIER calculates the substantial presence test, reviews possible income tax treaty exemptions, completes all applicable forms, and generates simple to follow instructions for the foreign national to submit his or her forms to the Institution Administrator. GLACIER does the rest! GLACIER tracks missing information and sends automatic email reminders, maintains "tickler" reports for upcoming status changes and notifies the Institution Administrator of necessary changes, and compiles the data for year-end reporting and tax file maintenance.
GLACIER:
- allows data to be entered directly into GLACIER (because it's truly a web-based system);
- asks the foreign national to complete only the questions applicable to his or her specific situation;
- provides Online Help on each screen, as well as a direct link to the GLACIER Support Center should the individual need any assistance;
- calculates the substantial presence test to determine the individual's residency status for tax purposes, residency start date, and residency change date, and logs each result into the database;
- reviews applicable income tax treaties to determine whether the individual could potentially qualify for an income tax treaty exemption;
- displays the text of the income tax treaty, should the foreign national or the administrator wish to review it;
- confirms the eligibility and intent for an income tax treaty exemption directly with the individual;
- completes and prints all applicable income tax treaty exemption and/or tax withholding forms and statements for the individual's signature;
- creates a checklist for the individual containing all forms and immigration documents that must be returned to the Institution Administrator, along with instructions detailing how to prepare and submit;
- generates a Tax Summary Report for the individual with (i) the results of the tax determinations, (ii) clarification of terms and requirements referenced in GLACIER, and (iii) instructions on how to contact the Institution Administrator and/or how to update information if there are future changes;
- alerts the Institution Administrator that the individual has successfully completed the information collection process;
- notifies the Institution Administrator of impending expiration dates;
- generates standard and ad-hoc reports, including income tax treaty exemption dates, residency status change dates, missing SSN/ITINs, immigration status expiration dates (it even allows the Institution Administrator to set up automatic report notification so he or she won't miss an important date!);
- notifies individuals when an income tax treaty exemption must be renewed, and completes all applicable income tax treaty exemption forms and statements for the individual to simply print and sign;
- prepares year-end Forms 1042 and 1042-S for submission to the IRS (either on paper or electronically); and
- prepares year-end Forms 1042-S for the foreign nationals and allows the institution to decide whether to print to plain paper (no special forms to purchase) or electronically post to the Individual Record for the foreign national to easily access.
Tax terminology is confusing enough — with GLACIER, many screens can be customized to use the institution's preferred names and categories — just another way GLACIER makes the information collection process easier and less confusing.
Security of our clients' data is paramount at Arctic International LLC! When considering security issues, there are really several aspects institutions should consider:
Backup - Backup of your critical data is handled by Arctic International LLC. Because we host your data, you don't need to invest time and money in the software, training, hardware, and hours required to ensure that your information is professionally backed up in case of disaster. Our staff uses a daily backup system with weekly offsite rotation.
Viruses - GLACIER differs from traditional PC or desktop applications in that software is not installed on your computer. Should a virus strike your computer or your network GLACIER will not be affected, nor will your critical data. The servers that house your data are protected from viruses by multiple firewalls and virus software. Our databases are stored on networks that are not directly accessible from the Internet, making them resistant to intrusions from the Internet.
External or Internal Security Breach - The majority of computer "break-ins" originate from internal sources. GLACIER is the perfect solution to an internal or external security breach. GLACIER, by virtue of being hosted off-site by Arctic International LLC, solves the physical security problems of hosting critical data at no additional cost. Your data is not stored on a web server; your data is stored in a separate network protected by its own firewall and is not accessible from the Internet. By isolating your critical data from the Internet and from internal breaches in your own organization, GLACIER provides the ultimate combination of convenience and security.
Secure data transfer - GLACIER uses the latest TLS (Transport Layer Security) technology
and database encryption algorithms to ensure your data is secure - the industry
standard for encrypting and protecting personal information over the Internet and the same technology used by
banking and financial institutions. GLACIER is more secure than traditional client-server or desk-top
applications. Of course, online systems are the most convenient way to interact with your foreign nationals and
allow administrators to share information, but they are generally safer and more secure than pc-based systems.
Because GLACIER is a web application, no additional client hardware or software is required. That's right - NO software to install, NO quarterly/annual updates to install, NO client IT support is necessary, and NO worries about the security or safety of your data. GLACIER is automatically and seamlessly updated to reflect the latest tax law changes, new forms, income tax treaty information, and system enhancements on a regular basis. Our clients receive an email notification of an update/enhancement and simply login to find GLACIER updated and ready to work for you.
The only things you need to use GLACIER, you already have: a computer with a current web browser, internet access, and a printer. That's it! GLACIER can be accessed from any web-enabled computer, from anywhere in the world, at any time of the day or night; it can be used on as many computers and by as many administrators as necessary, all at no additional cost.
Arctic International LLC licenses the access and use of GLACIER in the following manner:
- An institution purchases a license to obtain access to GLACIER.
- Arctic creates a Client Database and assigns an InstitutionID.
- The Institution Administrator then creates an Individual Record in GLACIER and sends an automatic email message notifying the person to access GLACIER.
- The foreign national accesses GLACIER at his or her leisure from any computer, any place in the world, day or night, and begins completing the questions.
- Alternatively, the Institution Administrator may simply collect the information from the foreign national and enter it directly into GLACIER.
The cost of GLACIER is based on a three-part pricing:
- Set-Up Fee: a one-time fee paid in connection with the Set-up of the database and initial training.
- Annual License Fee: The Annual License Fee is paid on a calendar year basis. Annual License Fees are based on the License Size (the number of Individual Records in your Client Database).
- Annual TAX Training: GLACIER is a tool in your tax compliance program. To use GLACIER in the most effective manner, your Institution Administrator must understand the issues related to nonresident alien tax compliance and stay up-to-date and informed. We require at least one Institution Administrator from each client to attend or participate in at least one of the ARC Training sessions for the first two years. The level of tax training, the method of training, the date and the location are up to you - we offer tax training throughout the year as both Workshops and WEBshops.
To purchase GLACIER, email or call us at or 571.344.9660.
Each License allows access to a certain number of Individual Records. Based on the number of foreign nationals at your institution, you decide the appropriate License Size and how many Individual Records your institution needs. Each foreign national for whom you wish to enter into GLACIER will need an Individual Record. It's very similar to a Payroll system; you must keep the Individual Record for the entire calendar year regardless of whether the person leaves in mid-year, otherwise, you will not be able to do year-end reporting or maintain a tax file.
We offer GLACIER in six License Sizes:
- Mini: 1-49 Individual Records
- Small: 50-99 Individual Records
- Medium: 100 - 499 Individual Records
- Large: 500 - 1499 Individual Records
- XLarge: 1500 - 2499 Individual Records
- Jumbo: 2500 – 3999 Individual Records
- Unlimited: 4000 or more Individual Records
Setting up GLACIER is quite simple –. Here’s the process:
- Have the appropriate Institution Representative sign and return the GLACIER License Agreement below;
- Schedule the Set-up call (we generally schedule 2-3 weeks out, depending on the time of year, so we suggest scheduling the Set-up call while you are working on submitting the "paperwork");
- Log into the Arctic Client Portal to establish your new Client Profile (takes about 3 minutes);
- Arctic creates a secure Client Database; and
- Arctic conducts the Set-up Call (approximately 2 ½ hours) via webcast.
That's It - your new GLACIER Client Database is ready to use! Over the first few months, the entire Arctic team individually contacts the Lead Administrator to check in and make sure things are going smoothly, but of course, if ANY questions arise, you can always contact us any time!
The GLACIER Support Center provides unparalleled support! Our team of Tax Professionals, IT and Software Engineers are available to answer any and all questions our clients and their foreign nationals may pose about GLACIER - all at no additional fee. Whether an administrator or a foreign student/scholar has a question about how to access GLACIER, input data, understand a resulting calculation, or anything else that may arise, each of the GLACIER screens contains Online Help, as well as a direct link to the GLACIER . We assist with whatever questions may arise (there are no "silly" questions - if you need an answer, we're here to help). The GLACIER Support Center provides quick responses and accurate problem resolution - it's simply the best support in the business!
Arctic International LLC's roots are firmly planted in tax consulting, so if your institution needs additional assistance with the development of a tax compliance game-plan, assistance with an audit, customized training, or just general questions, we also provide:
GLACIER handles all types of payees and situations — employees with compensation, researchers with non-service fellowship grants, students who work and also have scholarships, guest speakers who receive honoraria and travel, royalty recipients, and more. Here's just one example of how GLACIER manages your tax liability:
Elite University expects 150 new foreign students to arrive for the fall semester. Elsa, the Institution Administrator, uploads to GLACIER the name and email address for each new student. In doing so, Elsa automatically sends an email to each new foreign student with instructions about how to log on to GLACIER, answer the questions necessary to start an Individual Record, print the required forms and return the completed forms to her within 10 days of arrival at Elite University. (Alternatively, the foreign student may visit Elsa's office and provide the necessary information in person.)
As the student is completing his or her Individual Record, GLACIER performs the substantial presence test to determine the tax residency status, calculates any possible income tax treaty exemptions, and completes all required forms for review and printing.
GLACIER provides a Tax Summary Report for each student. If the student does not provide all forms to Elsa within the designated time (set by Elsa), GLACIER sends an email reminder to the student.
GLACIER automatically notifies Elsa of any substantial changes to the Individual Record, recalculating residency status or income tax treaty exemptions and reproducing updated forms, if applicable.
During the year, GLACIER provides Elsa with a variety of standard reports; the system also allows Elsa to perform customized queries.
At year-end, GLACIER reviews all the records for income tax treaty exemption renewal. Elsa then sends an email to each person eligible to renew an income tax treaty exemption. The foreign student simply accesses GLACIER, updates his or her information, and reviews, prints, and signs the new income tax treaty exemption forms.
Elsa automatically transfers payment data into GLACIER throughout the year. At year-end, she runs the Form 1042-S module to generate year-end reporting — GLACIER doesn't just print forms, it actually performs a review and creates an error report so Elsa is confident her filing is correct before printing the forms or electronically filing with the IRS. When ready, Elsa can print Forms 1042-S to plain paper and electronically file with the IRS), or she can electronically post Forms 1042-S to GLACIER (why waste paper and money on stamps?). Electronic posting is the most administratively simple, cost effective, secure, and logical way to distribute your tax reporting statements!
It's really that easy, but don't take our word for it - why not ask our clients how they use GLACIER.
Because Arctic developed GLACIER, we know more about it than anyone! And, we're happy to tell you what ever you'd like to know - so don't listen to those who have no association with Arctic about what we do or don't do - just ask us - we're a phone call or an email away and happy to not only tell you about GLACIER, but to let you try it for free and see for yourself that it will totally change the way you approach nonresident alien tax compliance!
But, because there are a few misconceptions about GLACIER, here's a few things for clarification:
License Sizes
Individual Records and License Sizes - GLACIER can process Individual Record calculations in a fraction of a second, regardless of whether you have a dozen or several thousand. The ONLY reason our pricing is based on the number of Individual Records, is to fairly price GLACIER for use by ALL types and sizes of institutions. We surveyed a lot of our clients to find out how they thought it most fair to price a system such as GLACIER, and overwhelmingly, those we asked believed the current market pricing was way to high for small institutions and they only fair way to do it was based on usage. So we listened to our clients and that's the way we priced it - It's Very Simple, we just want to be fair to all our clients.
Number of keys
We're constantly asked what we think is a really strange question: "How many keys do we get for the fee?" - It took us a while but we finally figured out what the question meant and here's our response: It's very simple - Access to GLACIER is based on security protocols - ANY Person who has the proper security protocols can access GLACIER from ANY computer ANY place in the World at ANY time he or she wishes to do so - it's ONE price! Again, It's Very Simple! (And there are no antiquated "keys" on your computer - who would use those anymore)
The absolute best content in the industry
In some cases, it might be flattering to be called "New", but in this
case, we just can't meet that definition! Donna Kepley, who formed
Arctic International LLC, has been in professional practice for over
eighteen years! She was asked to develop Nonresident Alien Tax
Compliance programs at two of the largest professional services
firms in the world (Baker & McKenzie, where she was Director of
Tax Compliance Programs, and KPMG, LLP, where she was first the
National Director of Nonresident Alien Tax, and then Director of
the International Tax & Legal Centre in KPMG's Global Headquarters
in Amsterdam, The Netherlands). Sixteen years ago, she co-authored
the first industry publication on Nonresident Alien Tax Compliance
(and it's now in its fifteenth edition) and developed corresponding
tax compliance training workshops (folks from all the major colleges,
universities, legal and accounting firms, IRS, and even so-called
competitors, have attended her workshops to learn her methodology).
She created NRA Aware and CINTAX, and how now created
GLACIER and GLACIER Tax Prep. The combination of GLACIER and
GLACIER Tax Prep is the culmination of years of work in this
area and much interaction with clients and foreign nationals. Ms. Kepley
has worked with hundreds of clients to help them to better understand this
issue and has created an efficient and effective way for her clients
to manage it. She is clearly a leader in this area and her products,
GLACIER and GLACIER Tax Prep, is unlike anything on the market.
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