2027 tax season · 2026 returns
F1TaxReturn vs TaxAct
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.
TaxAct
Not published
No Form 1040-NR price on its student page
Mainstream tax software that says it prepares and e-files Form 1040-NR with Form 8843.
The short answer
TaxAct says it prepares and e-files Form 1040-NR with Form 8843 and helps you claim a treaty, but its pages name no Form 1040-NR price and say nothing about Form 1042-S, nonresident state returns or dual-status years. F1TaxReturn prepares Form 1040-NR and Form 8843 free, as a paper return you mail, and for 2026 returns 9 states' returns for $30 plus a $2 fee.
Choose TaxAct if
- You want to e-file Form 1040-NR from a mainstream tax brand
- You already use TaxAct and know its price for your return
Choose F1TaxReturn if
- You want to know the price before you start: federal is free
- You want software built only for nonresident students
- You worked in California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona or New Jersey
- You have Form 1042-S or 1099-B income
- You want a FICA refund claim prepared with your return
How do TaxAct and F1TaxReturn compare?
Every question a nonresident return raises, answered from each side's own pages.
| Question | F1TaxReturnOurs | TaxActRead Oct 29, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Form 1040-NR (federal return) | Yes: Free, with the schedules your income needs | Yes: Prepares it, TaxAct says; it publishes no Form 1040-NR price |
| Form 8843 on its own | Yes: Free | Partly: With a Form 1040-NR; on its own you print and mail it, TaxAct says |
| State return | Yes: CA, NY, IL, MA, IN, MI, NC, AZ, NJ: $30 plus a $2 fee, one payment per returnNew for 2026 returns | Not stated: Not stated for nonresidents |
| E-file | No: No: a paper return you print, sign and mail | Yes: E-files Form 1040-NR, TaxAct says |
| Tax treaty benefits | Yes: Applied for you on Form 1040-NR | Yes: Helps you claim one, it says |
| Form 1042-S income | Yes: Takes it: scholarships, fellowships and treaty-exempt payNew for 2026 returns | Not stated: Not stated on its student page |
| Form 1099-B (stock sales) | Yes: Takes it, for stock salesNew for 2026 returns | Not stated: Not stated on its student page |
| 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 for Form 1040-NR |
| Who prepares it | You, with the software; no human review | You, with the software |
- Does it
- With limits
- Does not
- Its pages do not say
01Does TaxAct support Form 1040-NR?
TaxAct says it does, with Form 8843, and that it can e-file Form 1040-NR. It also says a Form 8843 filed on its own must be printed and mailed.
02How much does TaxAct charge for Form 1040-NR?
Its international student page names no Form 1040-NR price; TaxAct sets the price when you pay, print or e-file. F1TaxReturn's federal return is $0.
03Does TaxAct do nonresident state returns or Form 1042-S?
Its international student and Form 1040-NR pages do not say. Ask TaxAct before you start if you need either.
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.
- File international student taxesTaxAct, read October 29, 2026
- Form 1040-NR can be e-filedTaxAct, 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.