My spouse is on J-2 and payroll said J visas are exempt from FICA. Is that actually true for a J-2 spouse?
The payroll team seems to be treating every J visa as though it falls under one tax rule, but the IRS pages I found suggest spouses and dependents can be treated differently from the main J-1 scholar or teacher. My spouse is the one working now, not me, and I do not want the company to create an avoidable payroll problem by using the wrong shortcut.
What I need is a clear answer on whether J-2 status gets the same Social Security and Medicare exemption that people often talk about for J-1 scholars and teachers. If not, I want to correct the payroll file before year-end forms are built on the wrong assumption.
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