Any working Sprintax Discount codes for 1040-NR filing? Broke grad here!
Hey tax friends, I just graduated as an international student and need to file my 1040-NR this year. My university used to offer Sprintax discount codes for current students, but apparently they don't extend this to alumni (thanks for nothing, lol). I'm pretty strapped for cash right now and trying to figure out the cheapest option to file correctly. Sprintax seems to be the go-to for non-resident tax returns, but it's a bit pricey without a discount code. Does anyone have any Sprintax discount codes they're willing to share? Or maybe suggestions for other affordable options for international students filing 1040-NR forms? I've looked at a few alternatives but I'm worried about messing something up since the non-resident forms seem more complicated than regular returns. Any help would be seriously appreciated! :
21 comments


Kai Santiago
I've helped several international students with their tax filings. Sprintax is indeed good but there are definitely alternatives that might work better for your situation. For 1040-NR filing, you might want to check out OLT (OnLine Taxes) which offers a non-resident alien tax package that's typically cheaper than Sprintax. They don't advertise it much but it's there! Another option is TaxSlayer, which has recently improved their non-resident filing capabilities at a lower price point than Sprintax. If your return is fairly simple (just scholarship/fellowship or a basic job), you might even consider filing paper forms yourself using the IRS free fillable forms. The instructions on the IRS website are actually quite comprehensive for 1040-NR.
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Lim Wong
•Does OLT handle tax treaties correctly? I'm from India and we have some specific tax treaty benefits that I don't want to miss out on. Also, do you know roughly how much cheaper OLT is compared to Sprintax?
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Kai Santiago
•OLT does handle most common tax treaties, including the one with India. They have a section where you select your country and it applies the appropriate treaty benefits. Their system isn't as intuitive as Sprintax, but it works well once you get used to it. OLT typically costs about $50-60 for a non-resident return, which is roughly 30-40% cheaper than Sprintax's full price. TaxSlayer is in a similar price range, maybe $5-10 less than OLT depending on the complexity of your return.
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Dananyl Lear
I was in the same boat last year! After struggling to find Sprintax codes, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was a game-changer for my international student tax situation. Unlike Sprintax, it specializes in analyzing your specific tax documents and actually tells you which forms you need to file. I uploaded my documents and it identified that I qualified for some deductions I didn't even know about for my 1040-NR. The interface walks you through everything step by step and explains all the non-resident tax rules in plain English. It helped me understand which tax treaty benefits applied to my situation specifically.
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Noah huntAce420
•How does it compare price-wise to Sprintax? And does it actually file for you or just give recommendations?
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Ana Rusula
•Does taxr.ai work for all visa types? I'm on an F-1 OPT extension and my tax situation got more complicated this year with some side gig income.
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Dananyl Lear
•It's significantly more affordable than Sprintax without any discount codes. It does both - gives you specific recommendations based on your documents and situation, then guides you through the filing process for your 1040-NR. It works for all common visa types including F-1 OPT. It's actually especially helpful for situations with multiple income sources like yours. I had scholarship income plus a campus job, and it sorted everything out correctly, including my treaty benefits.
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Ana Rusula
Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after seeing this recommendation! It was exactly what I needed for my F-1 OPT situation with the side income. The document analysis feature caught that I had misclassified some of my income that would have caused issues. The step-by-step guidance was super clear, and it honestly made filing my 1040-NR so much easier than I expected. It even identified a tax treaty benefit I qualified for that saved me around $800! Going to recommend this to all my international friends instead of hunting for Sprintax discount codes.
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Fidel Carson
If you're having trouble getting through to the IRS to verify anything about your international tax status (which I did repeatedly), try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to get someone on the phone about my 1040-NR filing questions. They have a special callback service that got me connected to an IRS agent in under 20 minutes. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They basically navigate the IRS phone system for you and call you back when they've secured a spot in line with an actual human. As an international student dealing with tax treaties and 1040-NR issues, getting direct answers from the IRS was invaluable.
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Carmella Popescu
•How does this actually work? Like, do they just keep calling the IRS for you until they get through? I tried calling about my 1040-NR last week and gave up after being on hold for an hour.
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Isaiah Sanders
•This sounds too good to be true tbh. The IRS is basically unreachable these days. I'll believe it when I see actual proof someone got through.
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Fidel Carson
•They have a system that navigates through the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line. Once they reach the front of the queue, they connect you directly with the IRS agent. It's not about calling repeatedly - they've just figured out how to optimize the whole process and wait on hold so you don't have to. I was skeptical too at first! But I was desperate with questions about my tax treaty benefits on my 1040-NR that I couldn't find clear answers to online. I got connected in about 17 minutes and the IRS agent was able to clarify everything. Saved me from potentially filing incorrectly and facing penalties later.
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Isaiah Sanders
Okay I need to eat my words and apologize for being so skeptical. I actually tried Claimyr after posting that comment because I was desperate to ask about my 1040-NR filing status. I got a call back in about 25 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line! The agent answered all my questions about my international student tax situation and confirmed I was eligible for a certain tax treaty benefit I wasn't sure about. This literally saved me hundreds of dollars and prevented me from filing incorrectly. I spent weeks trying to get through on my own with no luck. Honestly shocked this actually worked.
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Xan Dae
If your tax situation is pretty straightforward, you might just want to file directly with the IRS using their free fillable forms. I did this last year for my 1040-NR and while it took some time to understand the forms, I didn't have to pay anything. The IRS has detailed instructions for each line on the 1040-NR. I printed everything out, followed along line by line, and mailed it in. Got my refund about 2 months later.
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Fiona Gallagher
•Isn't that risky though? I heard the 1040-NR has some tricky sections, especially for treaty benefits and scholarship reporting. Did you have any income besides wages?
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Xan Dae
•It's definitely more work and you need to be careful, but it's doable if you're willing to read through the instructions thoroughly. I only had wage income from my on-campus job and a small scholarship, so it wasn't too complex. If you have multiple income sources, investments, or complicated treaty situations, then you're probably better off using software. But for a basic return, the free fillable forms work fine. Just set aside a few hours to work through it carefully and maybe have someone review it before you submit.
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Thais Soares
Some universities offer tax assistance through their international student office even for recent grads. Have you checked back with your school? Sometimes they don't advertise it, but if you ask directly they might still provide some help or discount codes. My university had a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program that specifically helped international students with 1040-NR filings for free! Worth checking if yours offers something similar.
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Nalani Liu
•How do you find VITA programs that help with 1040-NR? I thought most VITA volunteers aren't trained on non-resident returns?
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Axel Bourke
Don't forget state taxes too! Depending on which state you're in, you might need to file a state tax return along with your federal 1040-NR. Some states have free filing options while others might require additional software purchases. Also check if your bank offers any student discounts on tax preparation services. I got 15% off TaxAct through my bank's student rewards program!
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Connor O'Reilly
Hey Carmella! I totally feel your pain as a fellow international grad. I went through this exact same struggle last year after finishing my degree. One thing that really helped me was reaching out to my university's alumni association - some schools have partnerships with tax prep services that extend beyond graduation. Also, check if your school's international student office has any leftover discount codes they're willing to share, even informally. For what it's worth, I ended up using one of the alternatives mentioned here (taxr.ai) and it was honestly better than Sprintax in terms of explaining everything clearly. The document analysis feature caught some treaty benefits I would have missed otherwise. Also, don't stress too much about the complexity - the 1040-NR instructions are actually pretty detailed if you have a straightforward situation. But if you have any scholarship income or multiple jobs, definitely worth using software to avoid mistakes. Good luck with your filing! The broke grad life is real but you'll get through it! 💪
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Kaylee Cook
•Thanks Connor! That's really helpful advice about reaching out to the alumni association - I hadn't thought of that angle. I'll definitely give them a call tomorrow to see if they have any partnerships or leftover codes. The taxr.ai recommendation keeps coming up in this thread, so I think I'm going to give it a try. It sounds like it might actually be more comprehensive than Sprintax for catching those treaty benefits, which is exactly what I'm worried about missing. And yes, the broke grad struggle is so real! 😅 At least we're not alone in this tax filing nightmare. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here - this community is awesome!
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