This is such a common confusion for international students! Based on what you've described, you're likely still considered a nonresident alien for tax purposes. Here's the key thing about F-2 to F-1 transitions: F-2 visa holders are "exempt individuals" for their first 5 calendar years, and F-1 students have their own separate 5-year exemption period. Since you were on F-2 from 2019-2024 (about 5+ years) and just switched to F-1 in May 2024, you're now in your first year of F-1 status. For the substantial presence test, your F-2 days likely don't count because of the exempt individual rules. Your F-1 days starting in May 2024 also don't count since you're in the beginning of that 5-year exempt period. When filling out investment applications, you'll probably need to indicate you're a nonresident for tax purposes and complete a W-8BEN form instead of a W-9. But definitely verify this with a tax professional or the IRS directly since visa timing and transitions can have nuances that affect the calculation. Don't forget you'll also need to file Form 8843 each year to document your exempt status!

I went through almost the exact same situation a couple years ago! Was on F-2 from 2018-2023, then switched to F-1. The confusion is totally understandable because the rules around exempt individuals and visa transitions aren't straightforward. What helped me was keeping detailed records of all my entry/exit dates and visa status changes. Even though you've been in the US for nearly 6 years total, the time on F-2 status counts as "exempt individual" time that doesn't go toward the substantial presence test. When you switched to F-1 in May 2024, you essentially started a new 5-year exempt period for that status. For investment accounts, I had to file W-8BEN forms as a nonresident alien. The brokerage actually walked me through it when I explained my visa situation. Just make sure you understand the tax implications - different withholding rates apply to dividends and capital gains for nonresidents. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: keep copies of your I-94 records and any status change documents. You'll need these dates for Form 8843 each year and potentially for future residency determinations. The CBP website lets you pull your travel history if you need to verify specific dates. Getting official confirmation from the IRS (whether through their phone line or services like the ones mentioned above) is probably your safest bet before making any investment account decisions.

H&R Block's software is working fine with KY state filing if anyone wants to jump ship

Just wanted to add that I called the Kentucky Department of Revenue directly yesterday and they confirmed the TurboTax integration issues. They said it should be resolved by end of week. In the meantime, they recommended filing directly through their website at revenue.ky.gov if you need to get it done ASAP. The rep was super helpful and walked me through the process!

I've been using Free Tax USA for the past 4 years and can definitely weigh in on this! For your situation (W-2, bank interest, standard deduction), the free version is absolutely all you need. I have a very similar tax profile and have never once wished I had upgraded to Deluxe. The audit protection feature sounds appealing, but honestly, with such a straightforward return, your audit risk is essentially nonexistent. The IRS focuses their limited audit resources on returns with red flags - like significant business deductions, large charitable contributions, or income inconsistencies. Simple W-2 wage earners with standard deductions just don't trigger their systems. I'd recommend starting with the free version this year. If you run into any issues or feel like you need more hand-holding, you can always upgrade to Deluxe next year. But I'm betting you'll find the free version handles everything perfectly and wonder why you even considered paying extra! The money you save could go toward building your emergency fund instead - probably a better use of those dollars than insurance against an audit that's statistically very unlikely to happen.

I've been in your exact situation and went with the free version - zero regrets! With just W-2 income, bank interest, and standard deduction, you're in the lowest audit risk category possible. The IRS has bigger fish to fry than straightforward returns like yours. The free version handled everything perfectly, and the interface walks you through each step clearly. I actually called their free support once with a question about entering my bank interest correctly, and while I did wait about 20 minutes, they were helpful and knowledgeable. Save your $6.99 and put it toward something more useful. The only scenario where I'd consider Deluxe for your situation is if you're extremely anxious about taxes and the peace of mind is worth the cost to you personally. But from a practical standpoint, you really don't need those premium features. Pro tip: Double-check your entries before submitting and you'll be golden with the free version!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact situation last year with over 1,200 trades. The wash sale reporting really is as tedious as it sounds, but here are a few things that helped me get through it: First, don't panic about the volume - the IRS is used to seeing returns with hundreds of Form 8949 pages from active traders. What they care about is accuracy, not brevity. Second, I found it helpful to tackle the wash sales in batches. Sort them by ticker symbol first, then work through each stock systematically. This makes it easier to spot patterns and catch errors in the basis adjustments. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: if you're using TurboTax Premier and it's flagging issues with your 1099-B import, don't try to fix everything at once. Focus on resolving the wash sales first since those must be reported individually anyway. The regular trades can often be batched together even if there are minor discrepancies. Also, consider upgrading to TurboTax's full-service option if the manual review becomes overwhelming. It costs more, but having a tax professional review your work can be worth it when you're dealing with this many transactions. They can also help ensure you're not missing any cross-account wash sales that the software might overlook. The good news is that once you get through this year, you'll have a much better system for tracking and organizing trades going forward!

I went through a very similar situation last year with about 700 trades and roughly 60 wash sales. Here's what I learned that might help streamline your process: The most important thing to understand is that wash sales absolutely cannot be aggregated - each one must be listed individually on Form 8949 with all the details (dates, proceeds, cost basis, adjustment codes). However, your regular trades without adjustments can definitely be summarized. For TurboTax Premier, here's what worked for me: Let it import your 1099-B first, then systematically work through the flagged items. Don't try to fix everything at once. Focus on the wash sales first since those are the most critical to get right. TurboTax will automatically apply the proper adjustment codes and carry the disallowed losses to the replacement shares' basis. One tip that saved me hours: Create a simple tracking spreadsheet outside of TurboTax with columns for ticker symbol, sale date, loss amount, and wash sale status. This helps you keep track of which transactions you've already reviewed and makes it easier to spot any cross-account wash sales that the software might miss. The process is definitely tedious with that many trades, but TurboTax Premier should handle the heavy lifting once you resolve the import issues. The key is being methodical and not rushing through the review process. Better to spend extra time now than deal with IRS questions later!

Has anybody here used Credit Karma Tax (now Cash App Taxes) for reporting scholarships? I tried it and got a COMPLETELY different result than both TurboTax and FreeTaxUSA... now I'm even more confused 😭

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My son is a sophomore and we've been struggling with this exact issue for two years. What I've learned is that the key is understanding the "coordination" between scholarships and education credits. Here's what helped us figure it out: create a simple spreadsheet with three columns - total scholarships received, qualified education expenses (tuition, fees, required books), and non-qualified expenses (room, board, personal expenses). The tricky part is that you actually have some choice in how to report this! You can elect to treat some scholarship money as taxable income if it results in a better overall tax outcome when combined with education credits. Sometimes paying a little tax on scholarship income is worth it if you can claim a larger American Opportunity Credit. I'd recommend manually calculating both scenarios - treating all possible scholarship money as non-taxable vs. treating some as taxable to maximize your education credits. Whichever gives you the better net result (refund minus any additional tax on scholarships) is usually the way to go. The software programs handle this differently because they make different default assumptions about your preferences. That's why you're seeing such different results!