2027 tax season · 2026 returns
F1TaxReturn vs FreeTaxUSA
F1TaxReturn
$0
Federal return, no code or card
Software made only for nonresident F-1, J-1, M-1 and Q students: it fills in Form 1040-NR, Form 8843 and the state return for you to print, sign and mail.
FreeTaxUSA
Not offered
No Form 1040-NR
Low-cost tax software for US citizens and residents, who file Form 1040.
The short answer
A nonresident F-1 or J-1 student cannot use FreeTaxUSA: a FreeTaxUSA agent wrote in April 2026 that it does not support Form 1040-NR returns or nonresident amendments. A nonresident files Form 1040-NR, which F1TaxReturn prepares free; FreeTaxUSA fits once you are a resident alien filing Form 1040.
Choose FreeTaxUSA if
- You are a resident alien for the year and file Form 1040
Choose F1TaxReturn if
- You are a nonresident alien and need Form 1040-NR and Form 8843
- You want a tax treaty applied to your wages
- You need a nonresident amendment, which FreeTaxUSA says it does not do: $35
How do FreeTaxUSA and F1TaxReturn compare?
Every question a nonresident return raises, answered from each side's own pages.
| Question | F1TaxReturnOurs | FreeTaxUSARead Oct 29, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Form 1040-NR (federal return) | Yes: Free, with the schedules your income needs | No: Not supported, FreeTaxUSA says |
| Form 8843 on its own | Yes: Free | No: Not for nonresidents |
| State return | Yes: CA, NY, IL, MA, IN, MI, NC, AZ, NJ: $30 plus a $2 fee, one payment per returnNew for 2026 returns | No: Not for nonresidents |
| E-file | No: No: a paper return you print, sign and mail | No: Not for Form 1040-NR |
| Tax treaty benefits | Yes: Applied for you on Form 1040-NR | No: Not for Form 1040-NR |
| Form 1042-S income | Yes: Takes it: scholarships, fellowships and treaty-exempt payNew for 2026 returns | No: Not for Form 1040-NR |
| Form 1099-B (stock sales) | Yes: Takes it, for stock salesNew for 2026 returns | No: Not for Form 1040-NR |
| FICA refund claim (Forms 843 and 8316) | Yes: $20 add-on, after your employer is asked; the letters to it are free | No: Not for Form 1040-NR |
| Dual-status year | No: Not prepared | No: Not for nonresidents |
| Amended return (Form 1040-X) | Yes: $35 for the federal and state amendment togetherNew for 2026 returns | No: No nonresident amendments, it says |
| Who prepares it | You, with the software; no human review | Resident returns only |
- Does it
- With limits
- Does not
- Its pages do not say
01Does FreeTaxUSA support Form 1040-NR?
No. A FreeTaxUSA agent wrote on April 3, 2026 that it does not currently support 1040-NR returns and that nonresidents need another provider.
02What is the free alternative to FreeTaxUSA for nonresidents?
F1TaxReturn prepares Form 1040-NR and Form 8843 free. A VITA site certified for foreign students prepares them free too, and you can fill in the IRS forms yourself.
Sources and how we checked
We make F1TaxReturn, so we compared it with what each company says on its own pages, read on the dates below and linked, and with the IRS's own publications. A company's page is the best source for what it sells; where it does not say, the table says so instead of guessing. Prices change each season: check the company's page before you buy. How we research.
- FreeTaxUSA agent answer on nonresident returns (April 3, 2026)FreeTaxUSA, read October 29, 2026
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Try the Free Form 1040-NR
F1TaxReturn fills in Form 1040-NR and Form 8843 from your answers, with a guide that says what to sign and where to mail it. Free, once the final 2026 forms are published.