This tool helps F‑1 / F‑2 students and their families (for example F‑1 with F‑2 spouse or US‑citizen children)
organize the information needed before filing a US tax return as a student (typically Form 8843 and, if you
had income, Form 1040‑NR or sometimes Form 1040 if you are a resident for tax purposes). It does not
send anything to the IRS and it does not replace a certified tax professional.
Important legal disclaimer: This page is an educational organizer only.
It does not provide legal or tax advice and does not file any tax forms for you.
Always review IRS instructions and, when in doubt, consult a qualified tax professional.
🧭Step-by-step wizard
Step 1 of 4
Basic information about you, your visa, and your dependents. This is used to estimate your
likely tax residency status (nonresident vs resident for tax purposes) and works for common
student scenarios:
only scholarship, F‑1 on CPT/OPT, F‑1 with F‑2 spouse and/or US‑citizen children.
For most students this will be F‑1.
Used for the 5‑year nonresident rule for F‑1.
Example: filing in 2026 for the 2025 tax year.
Do not type your number here, just select the option.
Dependents may affect your filing status and possible credits; rules are complex for nonresidents.
List the main types of income you had during the tax year. This covers three typical cases:
no income (only Form 8843), only scholarship / fellowship, or salary (W‑2, CPT/OPT, assistantship).
You will still need your W‑2, 1099, or scholarship statements when you actually file your tax return.
Total Box 1 from all W‑2 forms.
Only taxable portion (e.g. amounts not used for tuition/fees).
Employment income related to your studies.
Do not include income that is clearly foreign‑source.
Write down anything you need to remember or explain later.
Import your bank CSV to quickly identify patterns: salary, refunds, tuition, books, and typical
living expenses. Transactions never leave your browser. If you just want to test, you can download
the sample file and upload it here.
No transactions loaded yet.
Recommended CSV format: Date, Description, Amount. Amounts can be positive
(income) or negative (expenses). If your bank uses another format, you can still import and
manually adjust categories.
Review a high‑level summary of your situation and generate a checklist to use with tax software
or a professional. Always confirm the final result against official IRS instructions.
This is based only on your answers and does not guarantee eligibility. Always confirm.
You can copy this text and save it in your own notes; nothing is stored on the server.