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Tax year 20267 guides

Scholarships, bank interest, stocks and other income

How scholarships, stipends, bank interest, dividends, stock sales and crypto are taxed when you are a nonresident.

For tax year 2026, scholarship money a degree student spends on tuition and required fees is tax-free, and money for room, board or a living stipend is taxable, usually with 14% withheld. Interest from a US bank or credit union is not taxable for a nonresident alien, even with a Form 1099-INT.

Start with scholarships and fellowships, then bank interest. Gains on stocks and crypto follow a 183-day rule, and dividends from US companies are taxed at 30% or a lower treaty rate. A nonresident alien files no FBAR; the FBAR guide says when that changes. Money sent home from a US bank account carries no 1% remittance tax. The interest exemption ends, and the FBAR can start, in the year you become a resident alien, usually your sixth calendar year on F-1.

Read in this order

  1. Are scholarships taxable for international students in tax year 2026?

    In 2026, scholarships for tuition and required fees are tax-free for degree students; room, board and stipends are taxable, usually with 14% withheld.

    11 minute read

  2. Is bank interest taxable for F-1 students? Your 1099-INT explained

    No. For tax year 2026, interest from a US bank or credit union is not taxable for a nonresident alien and stays off Form 1040-NR, even with a 1099-INT.

    10 minute read

  3. Stocks, Robinhood and crypto on an F-1 visa: how they are taxed

    F-1 students: 2026 stock and crypto gains are generally untaxed under 183 days in the US; 30% can apply at 183 or more. US dividends: 30% or treaty rate.

    14 minute read

  4. Do F-1 students file an FBAR? Foreign bank accounts and US taxes

    Not while you are a nonresident alien. F-1 students file an FBAR for 2026 only as resident aliens with over $10,000 in foreign accounts combined.

    9 minute read

  5. The 1% remittance tax: does it apply when students send money home?

    Usually not. From 2026 the 1% US remittance tax applies only to transfers abroad paid in cash, money order or cashier's check, not from a US bank account.

    7 minute read

  6. Do F-1 students pay US tax on income from their home country?

    Generally not for nonresident aliens: an F-1 student's rent, interest and pay for work done in their home country stay off the 2026 Form 1040-NR.

    5 minute read

  7. Paid on a 1099 as an F-1 student? How contract income is taxed

    F-1 students who are nonresident aliens owe 2026 income tax on 1099-NEC pay, through Schedule C to Form 1040-NR line 8, but usually no self-employment tax.

    5 minute read

Questions these guides answer

Are scholarships taxable for international students in tax year 2026?

All 6 questions in Are scholarships taxable for international students in tax year 2026?

Is bank interest taxable for F-1 students? Your 1099-INT explained

All 6 questions in Is bank interest taxable for F-1 students? Your 1099-INT explained

Stocks, Robinhood and crypto on an F-1 visa: how they are taxed

All 6 questions in Stocks, Robinhood and crypto on an F-1 visa: how they are taxed

Do F-1 students file an FBAR? Foreign bank accounts and US taxes

All 6 questions in Do F-1 students file an FBAR? Foreign bank accounts and US taxes

The 1% remittance tax: does it apply when students send money home?

All 6 questions in The 1% remittance tax: does it apply when students send money home?

Do F-1 students pay US tax on income from their home country?

Paid on a 1099 as an F-1 student? How contract income is taxed

All 6 questions in Paid on a 1099 as an F-1 student? How contract income is taxed