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Tax year 2026Checked

F1TaxReturn vs Sprintax: which fits your 2026 return?

A dated comparison of the two for 2026 nonresident returns, starting with the cases where Sprintax fits better.

By F1TaxReturn Tax Team. Published . Facts checked against the sources below on . 7 minute read.

In short

  1. Going by its own pages on October 18, 2026, Sprintax covers more nonresident returns than F1TaxReturn: it says it e-files Form 1040-NR for eligible filers, takes Form 1042-S and prepares Form 1040-X amendments.
  2. Sprintax listed federal preparation from $54.95 and each state return from $49.95 with a federal return on October 18, 2026; at many schools that give a code the federal return is free, and codes can run out.
  3. F1TaxReturn prepares a free paper Form 1040-NR and Form 8843 for nonresident students with W-2, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV or 1099-MISC income, and one payment of $30 plus a $2 fee covers its state forms.
  4. F1TaxReturn's state forms are for California, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts only, and it does not take Form 1042-S or Form 1099-B.
  5. Neither F1TaxReturn nor Sprintax's online software prepares a dual-status return, and a 2026 Form 1040-NR with wages subject to withholding is due Thursday, April 15, 2027, whichever you use.
Contents, 8 sections

Sprintax covers more 2026 nonresident returns than F1TaxReturn: it says it e-files Form 1040-NR for eligible filers and takes Form 1042-S income. F1TaxReturn fits a nonresident student with W-2 wages who will mail a paper return. Its federal return is free, and its California, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts forms cost one payment of $30 plus a $2 fee.

We make F1TaxReturn, so every claim about Sprintax below comes from its own pages (or a university's, for school codes), read on October 18, 2026 and linked. For the whole filing process, start with how to file US taxes as an international student.

When is Sprintax the better choice?

Sprintax is the better choice when your return needs something F1TaxReturn does not prepare, such as e-filing or Form 1042-S income. Before you compare prices, check which income forms you received: a cheaper tool that cannot take one of them does not help you.

When Sprintax fits your 2026 return better (Sprintax's own pages, read October 18, 2026)
Your situation Sprintax F1TaxReturn (ours)
You want to e-file the federal return E-files Form 1040-NR for eligible filers, it says Paper only
You received Form 1042-S (scholarship, fellowship or treaty-exempt pay) Lists it among the forms to have ready (FAQ) Does not take it (Form 1042-S explained)
You sold stocks or crypto (Form 1099-B) Lists 1099-B among the forms that rule out e-filing, so that return is mailed (e-file page) Does not take it
You need Form 1040-X or a Social Security and Medicare (FICA) refund claim Prepares both, for a fee; the FICA claim only with a federal return (see prices below) Prepares neither
You worked in a state other than CA, NY, IL or MA, or in two states Prepares "a state return or two", it says; check that yours is in its software Four states; in a two-state year its IL, NY and MA forms count all your W-2 wages as earned in that state (two states)
You are a J-1 scholar or researcher, or on H-1B and a nonresident all year Says it serves them (FAQ) Built for students and OPT workers; single filers only

The IRS accepts e-filed Form 1040-NR (2025 instructions), and an e-filed return is not mailed.

Key facts

Sprintax federal return, no school code
From $54.95 (sprintax.com, checked October 18, 2026)
Sprintax state return
From $49.95 each with a federal return; $59.95 for a state return only (price list, October 18, 2026)
F1TaxReturn federal return
$0, no code; a paper return you print, sign and mail
F1TaxReturn state forms
$30 plus a $2 fee per return, for CA, NY, IL and MA
Form 1040-NR due, with 2026 wages subject to withholding
Thursday, April 15, 2027
For
F-1, J-1, M-1 and Q students who were nonresident aliens for all of 2026 and are choosing software for their 2026 Form 1040-NR in 2027.
Not for
Resident aliens, who file Form 1040, and anyone with a dual-status year: neither F1TaxReturn nor Sprintax's online software prepares a dual-status return.

How do the prices compare?

Without a school code, Sprintax's federal return and one state return started at $104.90 when we checked on October 18, 2026. F1TaxReturn's federal return is free, and one payment of $30 plus a $2 fee covers the state forms on your return.

What each costs (Sprintax's price list on October 18, 2026; check it again in January 2027)
What you needSprintax (price list)F1TaxReturn (ours)
Federal return (Form 1040-NR), with a school code$0 at many schools that give a code$0 with Form 8843, no code needed
Federal return (Form 1040-NR), no codeFrom $54.95$0 with Form 8843
A state returnFrom $49.95 each with a federal return; $59.95 for a state return only$30 plus a $2 fee per return, for CA, NY, IL and MA
Form 8843 alone$19.95$0 (the IRS form is free too)
Amended return (Form 1040-X)From $79.95Not offered
FICA refund claim$19.95, only with a federal returnNot offered

School codes can run out: UT Austin's free codes were all used by June 8, 2026. What a code covers, school by school, is in is Sprintax free?.

Worked example: Ana with a W-2, Wei with a W-2 and a 1042-S

Ana (illustrative) first came on an F-1 in 2024, finished her degree in May 2026 and works on OPT in Chicago. Her only income form is a W-2, and her school's codes are for enrolled students. Sprintax costs her at least $54.95 + $49.95 = $104.90. F1TaxReturn costs her $0 + $30 + $2 = $32 for Form 1040-NR, Form 8843 and her Illinois return, which she mails. With Sprintax she may be able to e-file the federal return.

Wei (illustrative) first came in 2022 and is a PhD student in Florida, with a TA job on a W-2 and a fellowship on Form 1042-S. Florida has no state income tax, so he files no state return (states with no income tax). F1TaxReturn cannot take his Form 1042-S, so he uses Sprintax: $0 if his school's code covers his return, or from $54.95 without one.

What does each one prepare?

Sprintax and F1TaxReturn differ most in how you file and in which income forms they take. Sprintax says it e-files the federal return for eligible filers; F1TaxReturn prepares paper returns only and does not take Form 1042-S or 1099-B.

What each prepares for a 2026 return (Sprintax's pages read October 18, 2026)
SprintaxF1TaxReturn (ours)
How you fileFederal e-file for eligible filers; state returns printed and mailedPaper only: you print, sign and mail every form
Income formsW-2, 1042-S and 1099 forms; with an ITIN or a 1099-INT, 1099-DIV or 1099-B, among others, the federal return is mailedW-2, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV and 1099-MISC only
Dual-status yearIts online software does not support it, its FAQ saysNot supported
Help and your data24/7 live chat, it says; IRS follow-up handled for a fee (from $19.95)Email support, no human review; your SSN is never stored and the PDFs are built in your browser

For the state return itself, read our guides for California, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts.

Can either one prepare my 2026 return?

F1TaxReturn and Sprintax's online software both prepare Form 1040-NR, so either one fits only if you were a nonresident alien for all of 2026. A resident alien files Form 1040, which F1TaxReturn does not prepare, and neither F1TaxReturn nor Sprintax's online software prepares a dual-status return.

Students on F, J, M or Q visas do not count their days for 5 calendar years. Pick the year you first came to see where 2026 falls.

First year in the US on an F, J, M or Q visa
  1. 20221 of 5: exempt, days do not count
  2. 20232 of 5: exempt, days do not count
  3. 20243 of 5: exempt, days do not count
  4. 20254 of 5: exempt, days do not count
  5. 20265 of 5: exempt, days do not count
  6. 20276th: days count

2026 is your 5th exempt year: you are a nonresident alien.

File Form 8843, and Form 1040-NR as well if you had taxable US income. No Social Security or Medicare tax on campus, CPT or OPT pay. Your days start to count in 2027.

Whether 2026 is still one of your five exempt years, from the year you first came on an F, J, M or Q visa. Any part of a calendar year counts as a whole one, and years on F, J, M or Q visas before this one count toward the five (IRC 7701(b)(5)(E)).

For Wei, who first came in 2022, 2026 is his fifth and last exempt year, so he files Form 1040-NR. From 2027 his days count, and a student who stays all year usually becomes a resident alien (your sixth year on F-1).

When is a 2026 Form 1040-NR due?

A 2026 Form 1040-NR with wages subject to US income tax withholding, like W-2 pay from a campus job, CPT or OPT, is due Thursday, April 15, 2027. With no such wages, it is due Tuesday, June 15, 2027 (Internal Revenue Code section 6072).

Were you paid wages in 2026 that are subject to US income tax withholding, such as an on-campus job, CPT or OPT? If a treaty exempted all of your pay, the Treasury regulations point to No.
  1. Monday, February 1, 2027Your W-2 is due
  2. Monday, March 15, 2027Your 1042-S is due
  3. Thursday, April 15, 2027Form 1040-NR, if you had wages YoursDue if you were paid wages subject to US income tax withholding in 2026, such as an on-campus job, CPT or OPT reported on a W-2. Attach Form 8843 to it.
  4. Tuesday, June 15, 2027Form 1040-NR with no wages, or Form 8843 aloneDue if you had no wages subject to US income tax withholding in 2026, for example only a taxable scholarship. If Form 8843 is the only thing you file, mail it by this day.

Your Form 1040-NR is due Thursday, April 15, 2027.

When the forms for a 2026 nonresident return arrive and when the return is due in 2027. Due dates for 2026 returns, from IRC 6072(a) and (c).

Wait for your W-2 and any Form 1042-S before you file. F1TaxReturn prepares 2026 returns once the final 2026 forms are published.

What to do next

  1. Check that 2026 was a nonresident year for you, with the five-year chart above or the substantial presence test.
  2. List your 2026 income forms as they arrive. Your W-2 is due to you by Monday, February 1, 2027 (W-2 instructions), and any Form 1042-S by Monday, March 15, 2027 (Form 1042-S instructions).
  3. If one of them is a Form 1042-S or 1099-B, or you need e-filing, an amendment or a state outside CA, NY, IL and MA, use Sprintax or another route from tax software compared. A VITA site with volunteers certified for nonresident returns (Publication 4011) may prepare Form 1040-NR free; ask first whether it handles your forms.
  4. In January 2027, ask your international office whether it has Sprintax codes and whether they cover a state return.
  5. If your only forms are W-2, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV or 1099-MISC, create an F1TaxReturn account; it prepares 2026 returns once the final forms are published.
  6. File by Thursday, April 15, 2027 if you were paid wages subject to withholding (tax deadlines for 2027). If you mail, we recommend certified mail; see where to mail Form 1040-NR.

Questions students ask

Is F1TaxReturn legit?

F1TaxReturn is software that fills in the official Form 1040-NR, Form 8843 and state PDFs from your answers. You check, sign and mail the return yourself, so nothing reaches the IRS without your signature. Your SSN is never stored, and the PDFs are built in your browser.

Is there a free alternative to Sprintax?

For the federal return, yes. F1TaxReturn prepares Form 1040-NR and Form 8843 free, with no code, if it takes all your income forms. An IRS volunteer (VITA) site may prepare a nonresident return if its volunteers are certified for one, and you can also fill in the IRS forms yourself. If Form 8843 is your only form, the IRS form is free and needs no software.

Does F1TaxReturn e-file?

F1TaxReturn does not e-file. It prepares paper returns that you print, sign and mail. The IRS accepts e-filed Form 1040-NR from tax software, and Sprintax says it e-files the federal return for eligible filers; its state returns are mailed.

Sprintax or F1TaxReturn for my state return?

If you worked in just one state, and it was California, New York, Illinois or Massachusetts, and F1TaxReturn takes all your income forms, its state forms cost $30 plus a $2 fee per return. Sprintax listed state returns from $49.95 each with a federal return on October 18, 2026. For another state, or a year with work in two states, Sprintax fits better if its software covers your states: it says it prepares 'a state return or two'.

Sources

This guide is checked against these 8 documents, most recently on .

  1. Instructions for Form 1040-NR (2025), IRS
  2. Where to file Forms 1040-NR, 1040-PR and 1040-SS: addresses for taxpayers and tax professionals, IRS
  3. Exempt individual: who is a student, IRS
  4. Publication 519 (2025), U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens, IRS
  5. Publication 4011 (Rev. 10-2026), Foreign Student and Scholar Volunteer Resource Guide, IRS
  6. General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026), IRS
  7. Instructions for Form 1042-S (2026), IRS
  8. 26 U.S. Code 6072, Time for filing income tax returns, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School