File Your Taxes for Free

Yes. Under Treasury Regulation §301.7701(b)-8, Form 8843 is required for F-1 and J-1 visa holders who are classified as nonresident aliens, regardless of income. According to IRS Publication 519, this form establishes your nonresident alien status and exempts certain days from counting toward the Substantial Presence Test. With over 1.1 million international students in the U.S. (IIE Open Doors 2024 Report), nearly all must file Form 8843. We prepare it for free - it's included automatically.

No catch. We make money from optional $30 state returns. Most students need state returns anyway, so it works out. We believe federal filing should be accessible to everyone, not a $100+ luxury. We don't sell your data, we don't upsell 'audit protection,' and we don't have hidden fees.

Not the mainstream ones. TurboTax and FreeTaxUSA do not support Form 1040-NR, the required form for nonresident aliens under IRC §871. TaxAct does support 1040-NR e-filing, but its interface is not tailored for international students. H&R Block's separate Expat Tax Services starts at $119 for DIY, but it's designed for U.S. citizens living abroad, not nonresident aliens filing 1040-NR. If you're an F-1 student classified as a nonresident alien per IRS Publication 519, you legally must file Form 1040-NR. Filing the wrong form can trigger IRS notices, potential penalties under IRC §6662, and complications with your visa status through USCIS.

We generate paper returns, which you mail to the IRS. According to IRS.gov, paper-filed federal returns typically take 6 to 8 weeks to process. (Note: Form 1040-NR can be e-filed through authorized IRS e-file providers such as Sprintax and TaxAct, which may result in faster processing.) State refund timelines vary (California FTB estimates 4-6 weeks; New York DTF estimates 6-8 weeks). Once processed, the IRS will send your refund by check or direct deposit depending on what you specify on your return. We provide customized mailing instructions so you know exactly where to send your forms.

We fully support California (Form 540NR), New York (IT-203), Illinois (IL-1040), and Massachusetts (Form 1 / Form 1-NR/PY). According to the IIE Open Doors 2024 Report, California and New York rank #1 and #2 for international student enrollment. We also support 9 no-income-tax states (Texas, Florida, Washington, Nevada, Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota, Tennessee, and New Hampshire) where no state return is required.