2027 tax season · 2026 returns
F1TaxReturn vs H&R Block
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.
H&R Block
From $124
Expat plan, plus $99 for Form 1040NR
Tax software and offices for US filers; its regular online product does not prepare Form 1040-NR, and its expat service sells it as an extra form.
The short answer
H&R Block's regular online product lists Form 1040-NR among the forms it cannot complete. Its DIY expat service, which it says is designed for US citizens living overseas, sells plans from $124 with Form 1040NR as an extra form at $99. F1TaxReturn prepares Form 1040-NR and Form 8843 free for nonresident students.
Choose H&R Block if
- You want a tax expert to help with your 1040-NR, which H&R Block says it offers
- You want an office you can walk into
Choose F1TaxReturn if
- You are a nonresident student and want the federal return free
- You want software built for F-1 and J-1 students, not US citizens abroad
- You worked in California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona or New Jersey: $32 in all for the state
How do H&R Block and F1TaxReturn compare?
Every question a nonresident return raises, answered from each side's own pages.
| Question | F1TaxReturnOurs | H&R BlockRead Oct 29, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Form 1040-NR (federal return) | Yes: Free, with the schedules your income needs | Partly: Not in its regular online product; its DIY expat plans (from $124) add Form 1040NR at $99 |
| Form 8843 on its own | Yes: Free | Not stated: Not stated |
| State return | Yes: CA, NY, IL, MA, IN, MI, NC, AZ, NJ: $30 plus a $2 fee, one payment per returnNew for 2026 returns | Partly: $99 per state return on its expat plans |
| E-file | No: No: a paper return you print, sign and mail | Not stated: Not stated for Form 1040-NR |
| Tax treaty benefits | Yes: Applied for you on Form 1040-NR | Not stated: Not stated for students |
| Form 1042-S income | Yes: Takes it: scholarships, fellowships and treaty-exempt payNew for 2026 returns | Not stated: Not stated |
| Form 1099-B (stock sales) | Yes: Takes it, for stock salesNew for 2026 returns | Not stated: Not stated |
| FICA refund claim (Forms 843 and 8316) | Yes: $20 add-on, after your employer is asked; the letters to it are free | Not stated: Not stated |
| Dual-status year | No: Not prepared | Not stated: Not stated |
| Amended return (Form 1040-X) | Yes: $35 for the federal and state amendment togetherNew for 2026 returns | Not stated: Not stated |
| Who prepares it | You, with the software; no human review | Its international tax experts can help with a 1040-NR, it says |
- Does it
- With limits
- Does not
- Its pages do not say
01Can H&R Block file Form 1040-NR?
Not in its regular online product, which lists Form 1040-NR among forms not available online. Its expat plans sell Form 1040NR as an extra form at $99, and it says its international tax experts can help with one.
02How much is H&R Block for a nonresident return?
Its DIY expat plans start at $124, plus $99 for Form 1040NR and $99 per state return. F1TaxReturn's federal return is $0.
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.
- Tax form availability (forms not available online)H&R Block, read October 29, 2026
- DIY expat tax filing onlineH&R Block, read October 29, 2026
Guides that go deeper
More comparisons
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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.