Freedom251 › Tax Information Reporting Software
GLACIER

What GLACIER is
GLACIER is an online tax compliance system for institutions that host or pay foreign nationals. It helps determine tax residency and treaty eligibility, manage paperwork, and prepare IRS reporting. The system calculates the substantial presence test, reviews applicable income tax treaties for possible exemptions, and prepares relevant withholding and treaty forms, plus year-end Forms 1042 and 1042-S for paper or electronic submission. Federal e-filing is supported, and recipient delivery is available both ways. Administrators can invite foreign nationals to enter information directly; GLACIER tracks missing details and sends email reminders. Standard and ad-hoc reports can cover treaty exemption dates, residency changes, missing SSNs or ITINs, and immigration status expirations. The maker describes it for universities, colleges, research institutes, hospitals, foundations, exchange organizations, and government agencies. It runs in a current web browser and needs internet access and a printer, with no client installation. Arctic says it uses TLS, database encryption, firewalls, daily backups, and weekly offsite backup rotation. Pricing is available on request; plans are billed annually on a calendar-year basis, with a one-time setup fee and annual tax training also applying. A free trial is offered, with no duration stated.
Who it suits
GLACIER is intended for institutions that host or pay foreign nationals, including educational, research, healthcare, nonprofit, exchange, and government organizations. It suits administrators who need to collect information, manage tax paperwork, and prepare IRS reporting.
What it does well
- Calculates the substantial presence test and reviews treaties.
- Tracks missing information and sends email reminders.
- Prepares Forms 1042 and 1042-S.
- Supports federal e-filing and both delivery methods.
- No client software installation is required.
What to know first
- Pricing is available only on request.
- Plans also involve setup fees and annual tax training.
- Each foreign national needs an Individual Record retained for the calendar year.
- An administrator must participate in training during each of the first two years.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | Annual license fee on a calendar-year basis; one-time setup fee and annual tax training also apply. · 100 - 499 Individual Records | On request |
| Jumbo | Annual license fee on a calendar-year basis; one-time setup fee and annual tax training also apply. · 2500 – 3999 Individual Records | On request |
| Mini | Annual license fee on a calendar-year basis; one-time setup fee and annual tax training also apply. · 1-49 Individual Records | On request |
| Large | Annual license fee on a calendar-year basis; one-time setup fee and annual tax training also apply. · 500 - 1499 Individual Records | On request |
| Unlimited | Annual license fee on a calendar-year basis; one-time setup fee and annual tax training also apply. · 4000 or more Individual Records | On request |
| Small | Annual license fee on a calendar-year basis; one-time setup fee and annual tax training also apply. · 50-99 Individual Records | On request |
| XLarge | Annual license fee on a calendar-year basis; one-time setup fee and annual tax training also apply. · 1500 - 2499 Individual Records | On request |
As arcticintl.com lists them, read 9 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
GLACIER brings foreign-national tax information, treaty review, forms, and reporting into a web-based system for institutions. Consider its record-retention and administrator-training requirements, as well as the annual licensing and setup costs, when assessing fit.
Facts from GLACIER's own pages
- Access and requirements
- GLACIER is web-based and requires a current web browser, internet access, and a printer, with no client software installation required. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Forms and reporting
- GLACIER prepares applicable withholding and treaty forms and year-end Forms 1042 and 1042-S for paper or electronic submission. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Headquarters
- Austin, Texas, United States · arcticintl.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Institutions served
- The maker describes GLACIER as suited to universities, colleges, research institutes, hospitals, foundations, exchange organizations, and government agencies that host or pay foreign nationals. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- GLACIER is an online tax compliance system for institutions that collect information, determine tax residency and income tax treaty eligibility, manage paperwork, and file reporting statements with the IRS. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Record limit
- Each foreign national needs an Individual Record, and the record must be retained for the full calendar year to support year-end reporting and tax-file maintenance. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Reports
- GLACIER generates standard and ad-hoc reports, including reports on treaty exemption dates, residency changes, missing SSNs or ITINs, and immigration status expirations. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Security
- Arctic says GLACIER uses TLS, database encryption, firewalls, daily backups, and weekly offsite backup rotation. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker says GLACIER support is provided at no additional fee by tax professionals, IT staff, and software engineers, with online help on each screen. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Tax calculations
- The system calculates the substantial presence test and reviews applicable income tax treaties for potential exemptions. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Training requirement
- At least one Institution Administrator from each client must attend or participate in at least one ARC Training session during each of the first two years. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Trial
- The maker says institutions can try GLACIER for free, but does not state a trial duration. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Workflow
- Administrators can invite foreign nationals to enter information directly, and the system tracks missing information and sends email reminders. · arcticintl.com, 9 Oct 2026
Where GLACIER stands on Freedom251
- Tax Information Reporting Software#13 of 26