2027 tax season · 2026 returns
F1TaxReturn vs TurboTax
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.
TurboTax
Not offered
No Form 1040-NR
Intuit's tax software for US citizens and residents, who file Form 1040.
The short answer
A nonresident F-1 or J-1 student cannot use TurboTax: Intuit says it does not support Form 1040-NR, and it sends nonresidents to Sprintax, its partner. Most F-1 and J-1 students are nonresidents for their first five calendar years and file Form 1040-NR, which F1TaxReturn prepares free; once you are a resident alien, you file Form 1040 and TurboTax fits.
Choose TurboTax if
- You passed the substantial presence test and are a resident alien for the year
- You file Form 1040, typically from your sixth calendar year as an F-1 student
- You are on an H-1B for the whole year and a resident
Choose F1TaxReturn if
- You are in your first five calendar years on an F-1, J-1, M-1 or Q student visa
- You need Form 1040-NR and Form 8843, which TurboTax does not prepare
- You want a tax treaty exemption applied to your wages
- You filed Form 1040 by mistake and need to correct it: $35
How do TurboTax and F1TaxReturn compare?
Every question a nonresident return raises, answered from each side's own pages.
| Question | F1TaxReturnOurs | TurboTaxRead Oct 29, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Form 1040-NR (federal return) | Yes: Free, with the schedules your income needs | No: Not supported, Intuit says; it sends nonresidents to Sprintax |
| Form 8843 on its own | Yes: Free | No: Not stated; it prepares resident returns |
| 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 Form 1040-NR |
| Amended return (Form 1040-X) | Yes: $35 for the federal and state amendment togetherNew for 2026 returns | No: Not for Form 1040-NR |
| Who prepares it | You, with the software; no human review | Resident returns only |
- Does it
- With limits
- Does not
- Its pages do not say
01Can an F-1 student use TurboTax?
Only once you are a resident alien for tax purposes. A nonresident files Form 1040-NR, and Intuit says TurboTax does not support it. Form 1040 is the wrong return for a nonresident.
02What does TurboTax recommend for nonresidents?
Intuit's help page says it has partnered with Sprintax for nonresident federal and state returns.
03How do I know if I am a nonresident?
Students on F, J, M or Q visas are exempt from the substantial presence test for five calendar years, so most are nonresidents until then. Our free resident alien checker counts your days for you.
04I filed Form 1040 with TurboTax by mistake. What now?
Correct it on Form 1040-X, with the corrected Form 1040-NR attached, as Publication 519 describes. F1TaxReturn prepares that correction, federal and state, for $35.
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.
- Does TurboTax handle Form 1040-NR for nonresident aliens?Intuit, read October 29, 2026
Guides that go deeper
More comparisons
Ranked lists
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.