For international tax and payroll specialists
The right withholding,before every payment.
Cicada checks each international payee’s residency, visa, and treaty facts. It recommends a treatment when the record is complete — and gathers what’s missing when it isn’t.
Decision in progress
Review before paymentReviewPostdoctoral researcher · WagesPostdoc · Wages
J-1 research scholar · India · Next payroll Nov 1J-1 scholar · India · Payroll Nov 1
Why it matters: without it, default FICA withholding applies, cutting the researcher’s pay now and creating corrections for your team later.
Updated DS-2019 requested Oct 2 · Reminder Oct 16 · You review when completeRequested Oct 2 · Reminder Oct 16
The decision gap
The right treatment depends on facts that are often incomplete.
Residency, treaty eligibility, and documentation arrive across forms, email, and internal systems — usually just as a payment deadline approaches.
Facts arrive incomplete
A missing visa date, day count, or treaty statement can stall the whole determination.
Changes surface too late
Benefit periods end and residency shifts quietly — often discovered after the payment runs.
Follow-up eats the week
Specialists spend hours requesting documents, sending reminders, and tracking status by hand.
How it works
A recommendation, the reason behind it, and a clear next step.
01
Collect
Payees provide residency, immigration, income, and document details through a guided intake sent in your organization’s name.
You get: what’s known, what’s missing, and which payments are affected.
02
Validate
When the facts support it, Cicada recommends a specific treatment. When they don’t, it explains the likely outcome and exactly what’s needed to confirm it.
You get: a reviewable recommendation with its reasoning and any uncertainty.
03
Resolve
Cicada requests missing documents, sends reminders, and updates status — or hands the next step to you, depending on how you configure it.
You get: a complete record of what was found, what happened, and why.
Cicada recommends. Your specialists decide.
Monitoring
Know what’s changing before payroll runs.
Most tools tell you today’s treatment. Cicada watches for the dates and events that change it, so your team can act in time.
Visa status change
Employee · Wages — moving from F-1 to H-1B, so FICA treatment may change with the next payment.
Exempt-individual years ending
Graduate student · Stipend — days begin counting toward substantial presence. Cicada will re-test residency.
Treaty benefit period ends
Researcher · Wages — withholding changes after the benefit period. Specialist notified.
The payee experience
Clear requests, sent in your organization’s name.
Employees, researchers, and contractors hear from your team — not an unfamiliar vendor. Each request explains what’s needed, why it matters, and when it’s due.
- Sent under your team’s name, with a clear link to Cicada
- Plain-language explanations, not tax jargon
- Automatic reminders until the request is complete
Hi Arjun,
Our records show your DS-2019 ended on October 1. If your program has been extended, please upload the updated form so we can keep your payroll tax setup accurate.
If your plans have changed, or you have questions, reply to this email to reach International Payroll.
Fits how you work
Works alongside the systems you already trust.
Cicada isn’t your payroll system, and it doesn’t replace your specialists’ judgment. It sits between your intake and your payment run, so decisions are ready when payroll needs them.
Security & privacy
Built for sensitive records from day one.
Encryption
Data is encrypted in transit and at rest.
Access control
Single sign-on and role-based permissions.
Compliance
SOC 2 audit in progress. We’ll complete your HECVAT as part of security review.
Data handling
Hosting and retention details are shared during security review.
Early-access partner program
The people closest to the work should shape the product.
01
A light commitment
It starts with one 30-minute conversation about how your team works today.
02
Shape what we build
Your use cases, system flows, and edge cases guide the product from the start.
03
Early access
Be among the first to use Cicada on your real cases.