Best Free Online Tax Software for International F1 Visa Students filing Federal & State taxes in 2025?

The tax filing requirements for F1 visa students can be tricky, but there are definitely free options available for your situation! As an international student on an F1 visa, you'll need to file Form 8843 (Statement for Exempt Individuals) regardless of whether you earned income. Since you have a W-2 with income, you'll also need to file a Federal tax return using Form 1040-NR (Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return) and Michigan state tax forms. For free software specifically designed for international students, I'd recommend Sprintax (they have a free federal version) or GlacierTax (partially free). For completely free options, check if your university participates in the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program, which offers free tax help for students, including internationals. Also, look into OLT (OnLine Taxes) which sometimes has free filing for nonresident aliens, or see if your university has a license with any tax software specifically for international students.

After struggling with the same issue last year, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a game-changer for my F1 visa tax situation! The software specifically handles international student tax requirements including both Federal and State filings. It automates the whole process of figuring out which forms you need as an F1 visa holder. I uploaded my W-2 and answered a few questions about my visa status and campus job, and it determined exactly which forms I needed (including that Form 8843 that everyone with F1 status has to file). The interface is super straightforward and actually explains tax terms in simple language.

I wanted to follow up about taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) since I was asking about state taxes. I ended up using it for my F1 visa tax filing last month and can confirm it handled both my federal taxes AND California state taxes completely free! The software automatically generated all the international student forms I needed - the 8843, 1040NR, and state forms. What really helped was that it has specific guidance for F1 visa holders about tax treaties and what income is taxable. My situation was similar to yours with campus employment, and it handled everything perfectly. The step-by-step process was way easier than what I went through last year trying to figure it out on my own.

If you're struggling to get answers from the IRS about your F1 visa tax situation (which I definitely was), try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for DAYS on my own. I had specific questions about tax treaties between the US and my home country (India) that no tax software could answer properly. The IRS phone lines kept disconnecting me after waiting for hours. Claimyr's service got me through to a real person who explained exactly how the tax treaty affected my campus job income and which boxes to check on my forms. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - totally changed how I deal with tax questions now.

I'm eating my words about Claimyr being a scam. After my skeptical comment, I was desperate to resolve a question about my F1 OPT income, so I tried it. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd previously wasted 4+ hours trying to call them directly. The agent cleared up my confusion about whether my internship qualified for tax treaty benefits (it did!) and saved me over $800 in taxes. The service does exactly what they claim - they navigate the phone system and get you connected without the wait. For anyone with specific international student tax questions that software can't answer, it's actually super helpful.

Don't forget to check if your university offers VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)! Many campuses provide this free service specifically for students including international ones. I used it last year at my university in Texas, and they had volunteers trained specifically on F1 visa tax situations. They completed all my forms including my 8843 and 1040NR, plus state taxes. Just bring your W-2, passport, I-20, and any other tax documents. It's completely free and they're trained on international student tax issues.

Just wanted to add something important: make sure whatever software you use understands the "Substantial Presence Test" for F1 students! This determines whether you file as a resident or nonresident alien for tax purposes. Generally, F1 students are considered nonresident aliens for the first 5 calendar years in the US, which means you need software that can handle Form 1040-NR, not the regular 1040 that most free software supports. I made this mistake my first year and had to refile everything because I used regular free software that didn't ask about my visa status.