Tax year 2026Checked October 14, 2026

Is Sprintax free? What your university code covers

What school access codes paid for, what Sprintax listed without one when we checked, and what to do if your school has no code, the codes ran out or you graduated.

By F1TaxReturn Tax Team. Published October 14, 2026; updated October 18, 2026. Facts checked against the sources below on October 14, 2026. 9 minute read.

In short

Sprintax costs you nothing for the federal Form 1040-NR and Form 8843 only when your school, or another sponsor, gives you an access code. Without one, Sprintax listed federal preparation from $54.95 on October 14, 2026.
None of the university pages we checked said the code pays for a state return. Sprintax listed state returns from $49.95 each with a federal return on October 14, 2026.
If Form 8843 is the only form you file for 2026, you need no software: the IRS form is free, and you mail it to Austin, TX 73301-0215 by Tuesday, June 15, 2027.
If you had W-2 wages in 2026, your Form 1040-NR is due Thursday, April 15, 2027, so a school code that arrives in late February still leaves time.
IRS volunteer (VITA) sites prepare Form 1040-NR free only where volunteers are certified for nonresident returns (IRS Publication 4011), so ask before you book.

Contents, 9 sections

Sprintax is not free on its own: your federal tax return costs nothing only when your university, or another sponsor, gives you an access code. Without a code, Sprintax listed federal preparation from $54.95 and state returns from $49.95 each when we checked its site on October 14, 2026.

This guide is for F-1, J-1, M-1 and Q students filing a nonresident return for tax year 2026 in 2027. None of the school pages we checked said the code pays for a state return, so the state return is usually where students pay. Prices for 2026 returns may change when the 2027 season opens, so check the price before you pay.

What does a university Sprintax code cover?

At most of the schools we checked, a university Sprintax code pays for the federal return, which is Form 1040-NR with Form 8843. None of the school pages below said the code also pays for a state return, and some schools give a separate discount code for it instead.

School	What its page said (checked October 14 or 18, 2026)
Stanford	Federal return free for Stanford affiliates; state return at the student's own expense
Caltech	Code waives the federal fee; a separate discount code for the state return; only for people who were nonresidents in the tax year; in July 2026 it said it had exceeded its allocation of federal codes
Indiana University	Federal return free; state return for a standard fee
University of Colorado	Licenses bought for federal returns only
Washington University in St. Louis	Discounted access, not free, for WashU-sponsored F-1 and J-1 students
Texas A&M	New codes emailed around the end of February; old codes stop working
UT Austin	Sprintax code covers one simple federal return and Form 8843; a state return or ITIN application costs extra; all free codes used by June 8, 2026

We read the pages of the first three schools and UT Austin in full on October 18, 2026, and the others through search results on October 14. Schools also change their arrangements from year to year. Only your own school's page for the 2027 season tells you what you will get, so check it again in January or February 2027.

Key facts

Sprintax federal return without a code: From $54.95 (sprintax.com, checked October 14, 2026)
Sprintax state return: From $49.95 per state with a federal return (checked October 14, 2026)
Form 8843 alone: The IRS form is free, and you need no software
Form 1040-NR due, 2026 W-2 wages: Thursday, April 15, 2027
Form 1040-NR or Form 8843 alone due, no wages: Tuesday, June 15, 2027

For: F-1, J-1, M-1 and Q students who were nonresident aliens in 2026 and are choosing how to prepare their 2026 Form 1040-NR, Form 8843 or state return in 2027.
Not for: Resident aliens for 2026, who file Form 1040. If 2026 was your sixth calendar year in the US or later, check your status first.

How much does Sprintax cost without a code?

Without a code, Sprintax listed federal preparation from $54.95 and each state return from $49.95. These are the prices on the Sprintax Returns page when we checked on October 14, 2026.

Sprintax product	Listed price (checked October 14, 2026)
Federal return (Form 1040-NR)	from $54.95
State return, with a federal return	from $49.95 per state
Amended return	from $79.95

A student without a code who needs one state return pays at least $54.95 plus $49.95 = $104.90. Sprintax prepares the state return for you to print and mail. Its own guidance says international students cannot e-file a state return through Sprintax.

What if my school has no code, the codes ran out, or I graduated?

Ask your international office first, and choose another route if no code comes. You have time: your 2026 Form 1040-NR is due Thursday, April 15, 2027 if you had wages, or Tuesday, June 15, 2027 if you did not (26 U.S. Code 6072).

In January 2027, ask your international office three questions. Will it have Sprintax codes this season? Can graduates on OPT get one? Does the code cover a state return?
Wait for your tax forms either way. Employers must send you your 2026 W-2 by Monday, February 1, 2027 (IRS W-2 instructions). Schools must send Form 1042-S by Monday, March 15, 2027.
If no code has come by mid-March, pick one of the routes in the next sections. A missing code does not move your deadline.
If you cannot finish in time, send Form 4868 by your due date. It gives you six more months to file, but any tax you owe is still due on the original date.

Some schools give codes only to current students and staff, and some have a separate request form for people whose university login has expired. Free codes can also run out. UT Austin's were all used by June 8, 2026, and in July 2026 Caltech said it had exceeded its allocation of federal codes.

If you graduated, also check that you are still a nonresident alien. Students exclude their days from the residency count for 5 calendar years, and any part of a year counts as a whole year. In your sixth year or later you may be a resident, who files Form 1040 instead (your sixth year on F-1).

Do I need software if Form 8843 is my only form?

No. If you do not have to file a 2026 tax return, Form 8843 is the only form you file, and you can fill in the free IRS form by hand.

A student on an F, J, M or Q visa with no income subject to US tax in 2026 does not file Form 1040-NR (Form 1040-NR instructions, "Who Must File"). Wages and a taxable scholarship are income subject to US tax. Our Form 8843 guide explains who files what and goes through the form line by line.

Download Form 8843 from the IRS Form 8843 page, fill it in by hand or on screen, and sign it. Mail it to Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service Center, Austin, TX 73301-0215, by Tuesday, June 15, 2027. The 2026 draft Form 8843 gives that address under "When and Where To File". You do not need an SSN or ITIN to file it on its own.

You do not need to pay a software company to prepare Form 8843 on its own.

What are the other ways to file, and what do they cost?

Besides a school code, you have four routes for a 2026 nonresident return. You can buy Sprintax yourself, use F1TaxReturn, find an IRS volunteer (VITA) site that prepares nonresident returns, or fill in the IRS forms by hand.

Sprintax prices in this table are the ones listed on October 14, 2026.

Route	What you pay	Limits
Sprintax with a school code	Federal $0 at most schools we checked; state from $49.95 each, unless your school gives a discount	Federal e-file if eligible; state return mailed; no dual-status returns
Sprintax without a code	Federal from $54.95; state from $49.95 each	Federal e-file if eligible; state return mailed; no dual-status returns
F1TaxReturn	Federal $0, no code; one payment of $30 plus a $2 fee per return covers the state forms	Paper only; states CA, NY, IL and MA only; no Form 1042-S, 1099-B or dual-status returns
IRS volunteer (VITA) site	Federal $0; ask the site about state	Needs a volunteer certified for nonresident returns; dual-status is out of scope
IRS forms by hand	$0	Your own time; nothing checks your work

Whatever you use, make sure it prepares Form 1040-NR. Software built for Form 1040 is for resident aliens; our post on TurboTax for F-1 students covers that question. If you already filed a Form 1040 by mistake, see how to fix it.

VITA sites are run by IRS-trained volunteers. Their IRS guide, Publication 4011, says a volunteer prepares a nonresident return only after certifying in the Foreign Student and Scholar course. A second certified volunteer at the site must also be able to review it, so ask about both before you book. Find sites through the IRS free tax preparation page.

Filling in Form 1040-NR yourself is free and allowed, but it takes time. Our Form 1040-NR guide goes through the lines. F1TaxReturn prepares Form 1040-NR and Form 8843 free, with no code, for you to print, sign and mail. It prepares 2026 returns once the IRS publishes the final 2026 forms and instructions.

Worked example: Lina, F-1 graduate on OPT in Illinois

Lina is an illustrative F-1 student who first came to the US in August 2024. That makes 2026 her third calendar year, so she is still a nonresident alien. She finished her degree in another state in May 2026, and her school's code was for enrolled students only. She moved to Illinois for an OPT job and earned W-2 wages there from July to December 2026. She files Form 1040-NR with Form 8843, and an Illinois Form IL-1040 with Schedule NR.

Route	Federal + Illinois = total
Sprintax, if her office still gives her a code	$0 + from $49.95 = from $49.95
Sprintax, bought directly	from $54.95 + from $49.95 = from $104.90
F1TaxReturn	$0 + ($30 + $2) = $32
IRS and Illinois forms by hand	$0 + $0 = $0, plus postage

At the prices listed on October 14, 2026, buying Sprintax directly costs her at least $104.90. F1TaxReturn costs $32, and she mails both returns. With Sprintax she may be able to e-file the federal return, but she mails the Illinois return either way.

Her employer must send her W-2 by Monday, February 1, 2027, and her federal return is due Thursday, April 15, 2027. Illinois is expected to use Thursday, April 15, 2027, but has not published its date yet; for 2025 returns it was April 15, 2026.

For a wider comparison of tools, see tax software for international students compared.

What does Sprintax do that F1TaxReturn does not?

Sprintax handles more situations than F1TaxReturn, and the two differences that matter most are federal e-filing and Form 1042-S. Check the points below against the forms you received before you choose on price.

When we checked in October 2026, Sprintax said it can e-file a federal Form 1040-NR for eligible filers, and that not everyone is eligible. The IRS accepts e-filed 1040-NR returns from commercial software, and an e-filed return is not mailed. F1TaxReturn prepares paper returns only.

Form 1042-S reports scholarships, fellowships and treaty-exempt pay. Before you pay for any tool, check that it says it takes Form 1042-S. F1TaxReturn does not take Form 1042-S or Form 1099-B (stock and crypto sales). If you received either, you need another route (Form 1042-S explained).

Sprintax also sells amended returns, from $79.95 when we checked on October 14, 2026. F1TaxReturn prepares neither Form 1040-X nor Form 843; our FICA refund guide explains those forms. F1TaxReturn's state returns cover California, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts only.

Neither tool prepares a dual-status return, which you may need for the year you change to H-1B or get a green card. Sprintax's FAQ said its software does not prepare one when we checked in October 2026, and the IRS volunteer program treats dual-status returns as out of scope. If that is you, read F-1 to H-1B: your first tax return and look for a paid preparer who handles dual-status returns.

What to do next

Check that you were a nonresident alien for 2026. If 2026 was your sixth calendar year in the US or later, read your sixth year on F-1 first.
In January 2027, ask your international office whether it has Sprintax codes, who can get one, and whether the code covers a state return.
Collect your W-2 (your employer must send it by Monday, February 1, 2027) and any Form 1042-S (due by Monday, March 15, 2027).
If Form 8843 is your only form, print the free IRS form and mail it to Austin, TX 73301-0215 by Tuesday, June 15, 2027.
If no code has come by mid-March, choose a route from the table above. File by Thursday, April 15, 2027 if you had wages, or Tuesday, June 15, 2027 if you did not (tax deadlines for 2027).
If you mail a return, we recommend certified mail; keep the receipt. For addresses, see where to mail Form 1040-NR and Form 8843.

Questions students ask

Does my school's Sprintax code still work after I graduate?

That depends on your school. Some schools give codes only to current students and staff, and some have a request form for people whose university login has expired. Ask your international office in January 2027. If it cannot give you a code, you can buy Sprintax yourself or use one of the other routes in this guide.

Does the university code cover my state return?

None of the school pages we checked said it does. Where a page mentioned the state return, the student paid for it, sometimes with a discount code from the school. Sprintax listed state returns from $49.95 each with a federal return when we checked on October 14, 2026.

Is there a free way to file Form 1040-NR without a code?

Yes. You can fill in the IRS form yourself, or use an IRS volunteer (VITA) site that has volunteers certified for nonresident returns. F1TaxReturn also prepares the federal Form 1040-NR and Form 8843 free, for you to print, sign and mail, once the IRS publishes the final 2026 forms.

Can I e-file my state return with Sprintax?

Sprintax's own guidance says international students cannot e-file a state return through Sprintax. It prepares the state return for you to print, sign and mail. Sprintax says it can e-file the federal return for eligible filers, and that not everyone is eligible.

I changed from F-1 to H-1B in 2026. Can I use Sprintax?

Often yes. If 2026 was inside your five exempt calendar years and your H-1B started on October 1, 2026, you had at most 92 non-exempt days, so you stayed a nonresident alien for all of 2026 and file Form 1040-NR. If 2026 is a dual-status year for you, Sprintax's FAQ says its software does not prepare dual-status returns, and F1TaxReturn does not either. Our F-1 to H-1B guide shows how to tell which return you file.

Sources

This guide is checked against these 12 documents, most recently on October 14, 2026.