Federal return
$0
Free for every student
- Form 1040-NR and the schedules your income needs
- Form 8843, on its own if you had no US income
- Tax treaty benefits applied for you
- Mailing instructions for every form
- No credit card needed
Pricing
Free Federal. One Price for Your State.
Your federal return costs nothing. If you worked in a state with income tax, one payment covers your state forms for the year.
State return
$30+ $2 processing fee
or ₹2,799 in rupees, everything included
- California Form 540NR
- New York IT-203
- Illinois IL-1040
- Massachusetts Form 1 / Form 1-NR/PY
- One payment covers your state forms for the year
- Pay with UPI, Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, cards or PayPal
Worked only in Texas, Florida, Washington, Nevada, Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota, Tennessee or New Hampshire? Those states have no income tax on wages, so there is no state return and nothing to pay. See every supported form
The Proof Is in the Comparison
Compare side-by-side and see why F1TaxReturn wins on every metric that matters.
| Features | F1TaxReturn | Sprintax | Glacier Tax | TurboTax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal 1040-NR Filing | YesFree | NoFrom $54.95 | No$49 | NoNot supported |
| 1040-NR Supported | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Form 8843 Included | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| State Return Pricing | $30 | NoFrom $49.95 | NoNot offered | NoN/A |
| States Supported | Yes13 states | PartlyPaid add-on | NoNone | No |
| Built for F-1 Students | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Non-Resident Only | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Simple, Guided Flow | Yes | PartlyComplex | PartlyComplex | No |
| Payment Options | YesCards + UPI | NoCards only | No | No |
Competitor prices are list prices from their own websites, checked October 18, 2026. Many universities give students a Sprintax code that makes the federal return cheaper or free. Our state returns are $30 plus a $2 payment-processing fee.
Start My Free Return
Join 1,000+ F-1 students who stopped overpaying
- CA, NY, IL, MA + 9 No-Tax States
- Pay with UPI, only we support it
Need a Refund?
Email support@f1taxreturn.com from the address on your account. Say which tax year you paid for and what went wrong, and we will get back to you. Please leave your Social Security and passport numbers out of the email.
Who Checks Your Return?
You do. F1TaxReturn fills in the official forms from your answers; it is not a CPA or a tax adviser, and nobody reviews your return before you mail it. Check every form before you sign it. Read our terms
01What does it cost?
Your federal return is free. A state return is $30 plus a $2 processing fee. There is nothing else to buy: no add-ons, no audit protection upsell, no fee to download your forms.
02Why is the federal return free?
Because state returns pay for it. Most students who work also owe a state return, and that is how F1TaxReturn makes money. We do not sell your data.
03How is this different from Sprintax?
Sprintax can e-file a federal return for eligible filers; we cannot. We are cheaper. Sprintax lists a federal return from $54.95 and a state return from $49.95 (checked October 18, 2026), and many universities give a code that lowers it. Here the federal return is free. Both prepare the same IRS forms.
04Do you e-file?
No. We prepare paper returns that you print, sign and mail. Your download includes every form you need and mailing instructions for each one: which address, what to enclose, and how to get proof that you mailed it on time.
05Can I get my money back?
Email support@f1taxreturn.com and we will get back to you. Write from the email address on your account, and say which tax year you paid for and what went wrong. Please leave your Social Security number and passport number out of the email.
06Who is responsible for the accuracy of my return?
You are. We fill in the forms from your answers; you check them and sign. F1TaxReturn is a form-filling tool. It puts what you tell it on the official IRS and state forms. It is not a CPA, an enrolled agent or a tax adviser, and nobody reviews your return before you mail it. Check every line against your W-2s and other documents before you sign: your signature tells the IRS the return is true, correct and complete. Our Terms of Service say the same.