Help filing income tax for Au Pair - Form 1040NR question
Our Au Pair will be returning to her home country next month, and she asked me to help with her 2025 US taxes. I initially thought I could just use TurboTax to handle everything for her, but I've hit a roadblock - she needs to file form 1040NR (for non-residents), which TurboTax doesn't support. Her income is pretty straightforward - just the weekly stipend we paid her which totals about $22,000 for the year. She's from Germany and has been here on a J-1 visa for the past 10 months. Would it make sense to still input all her income information into TurboTax to get the calculations, and then manually transfer those numbers to the 1040NR form? Or should I just do everything manually from scratch? Taking her to a professional tax preparer seems ridiculous given how little she'll probably owe, and she's trying to save as much as possible before heading home. Has anyone dealt with this situation before? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Oliver Weber
You can definitely use TurboTax to calculate the numbers and then transfer them to the 1040NR, but there are some important differences between regular 1040 and 1040NR that you need to be aware of. Au pairs on J-1 visas are considered non-resident aliens for tax purposes, and they have different deduction rules than residents. The standard deduction is generally limited for non-residents, and she may only be allowed to claim certain deductions related to her work in the US. Another option is to use free filing software specifically designed for non-residents. The IRS Free File program includes some options that support 1040NR. Sprintax is one popular option that specializes in non-resident returns, though it does have a fee. If her situation is very straightforward (just the stipend income), manually filing might not be too difficult. The IRS provides fillable PDF forms and instructions on their website.
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FireflyDreams
•Thank you for the info! Do Au pairs qualify for any tax treaties that might reduce what she owes? Also, does she need to file a state tax return too or just federal?
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Oliver Weber
•Germany does have a tax treaty with the US that might benefit your au pair. Under the treaty, certain types of income may be exempt or taxed at a reduced rate. She should check Article 20 of the US-Germany tax treaty which specifically addresses students and trainees, which often applies to au pairs. Regarding state taxes, yes, she likely needs to file a state tax return in your state of residence. Each state has its own rules for non-resident aliens, but generally if she earned income in that state, she'll need to file there too. Some states have simplified forms for non-residents.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
I was in the exact same situation last year trying to help our Brazilian au pair with her taxes! After wasting hours with TurboTax only to hit that 1040NR wall, I discovered https://taxr.ai which made everything super easy. It's specifically designed to handle international tax situations like au pairs and students. I just uploaded her stipend information and answered a few questions about her visa status, and it filled out all the right forms including handling the tax treaty benefits automatically. Saved me from having to become an expert on international tax law overnight!
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Javier Morales
•Did it handle state tax returns too? Our au pair needs to file in California and I heard that's a whole separate nightmare.
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Emma Anderson
•How does the verification work? Our au pair doesn't have a US credit history so some of these tax services won't verify her identity.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•Yes, it handled both federal and state returns! California does have its own specific forms for non-residents, but the system walked me through everything. No need to do separate filings or figure out the California-specific rules. For verification, it uses document-based verification rather than credit history. Your au pair just needs her passport and visa documents. Our au pair had the same issue with other services, but had no problems with this one since it's designed specifically for internationals without US credit histories.
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Emma Anderson
I was initially skeptical about using an online service for my au pair's taxes after getting burned by TurboTax, but I tried https://taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. Have to say I'm impressed! The interface was straightforward and it actually understood all the J-1 visa specifics. The best part was that it automatically applied the German-US tax treaty provisions which saved her about $1,400 in taxes! It also explained everything in simple terms that made it easy for me to help her understand her tax situation. Definitely worth it compared to the headache of trying to figure out the 1040NR manually.
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Malik Thompson
If the tax software route doesn't work out, you might want to try calling the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center. They can sometimes be helpful with international tax situations. Just a warning though - I tried calling the IRS for help with our former au pair's taxes and spent LITERALLY three days trying to get through. They kept disconnecting me after 2+ hours on hold. Eventually I found https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - they actually got me connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes after days of failed attempts. The IRS agent was able to give me specific guidance on the 1040NR for our situation and confirmed which tax treaty benefits applied. Saved me from making some pretty big mistakes on the form.
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Isabella Ferreira
•How does Claimyr actually work? I thought it was impossible to get through to the IRS these days!
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CosmicVoyager
•Sounds like a scam to me. The IRS phone lines are notoriously jammed, no way some service can magically get you through when millions of people can't.
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Malik Thompson
•It uses a proprietary system that continuously dials and navigates the IRS phone tree until it gets a spot in the queue. When it gets through, it calls you and connects you directly to the IRS agent. I don't know exactly how the technology works, but I was skeptical too until I tried it. It's basically like having someone sit there and redial for you hundreds of times until they get through, except it's automated. It took about 15 minutes from when I started until I was talking to a real person at the IRS. The IRS agent I spoke with was super helpful with the au pair tax situation.
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CosmicVoyager
I hate admitting when I'm wrong, but I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a scam, my curiosity got the better of me and I tried it when I needed help with my nephew's au pair tax situation. Not only did I get connected to the IRS in about 20 minutes, but the agent I spoke with was actually knowledgeable about J-1 visa holders and form 1040NR. She walked me through the exact sections that are different from a regular 1040 and confirmed which tax treaty benefits applied for an au pair from Thailand. Saved me from making a costly mistake on the forms and potentially subjecting his au pair to an audit. Definitely worth it for the peace of mind alone.
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Ravi Kapoor
Something to consider - check if your au pair qualifies as a "resident alien" rather than "non-resident alien" for tax purposes. If she passes the Substantial Presence Test (basically been in the US long enough), she might be able to file the regular 1040 instead of 1040NR which would let you use TurboTax. J-1 visa holders who have been in the US for parts of 2 calendar years sometimes qualify. Might be worth checking!
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Amina Toure
•Thanks for that suggestion! I looked into the Substantial Presence Test, but it seems that au pairs on J-1 visas are explicitly classified as "exempt individuals" for the first 2 years, meaning they don't count days toward the substantial presence test. She's definitely considered a non-resident alien for tax purposes. Really appreciate everyone's help though - I think I'm going to try one of the specialized services mentioned since the 1040NR seems to have some tricky differences from the standard forms.
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Freya Nielsen
Don't forget about FBAR requirements if your au pair has foreign bank accounts that exceed $10,000 total at any point during the year! It's separate from the tax return but has serious penalties if missed.
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Omar Mahmoud
•Is that really necessary for au pairs? They're only here temporarily.
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Freya Nielsen
•Yes, it applies to anyone who's required to file US taxes regardless of their visa status or how long they've been here. If they meet the $10,000 threshold in foreign accounts at any point in the year, they need to file the FBAR. Many au pairs keep savings accounts in their home countries while working in the US, and if those accounts plus any other foreign financial accounts total more than $10,000 at any point, they need to file. The penalties for not filing can be severe - starting at $10,000 for non-willful violations.
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