How can I e-file for form 1040 NR? Need help with nonresident tax filing

I'm a graduate student from India currently on F1 visa in the US. This is my second year here, and I'm trying to figure out how to e-file my form 1040 NR for the 2025 tax season. Last year, I just mailed in paper forms because I was confused about the whole process, but it took forever to get my refund (like 4 months!). My university provided me with some tax software through a partnership, but when I tried to use it, I couldn't find the option for 1040 NR specifically. I have a small scholarship that exceeds my tuition, so I need to report that income along with my campus job which gave me a W-2. Does anyone know which tax preparation services actually support e-filing for the 1040 NR? I've looked at TurboTax and H&R Block but their websites aren't clear about nonresident forms. Any recommendations or tips would be really appreciated! I really don't want to deal with paper filing again if I can avoid it.

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18 comments

Freya Thomsen

•8M

I deal with international student tax issues regularly, and e-filing the 1040-NR can definitely be tricky! Not all tax software supports this form electronically, which is why you're running into problems. Sprintax is one of the better options for nonresident tax filing, as they specifically cater to international students and scholars. They support e-filing for Form 1040-NR and handle the specific treaty benefits that might apply to your situation as an Indian student. TaxAct also offers 1040-NR e-filing capabilities, though their interface isn't quite as intuitive for international filers. Your university's software partnership might be with Glacier Tax Prep, which is common for educational institutions, but they sometimes don't include the e-filing option in basic packages. Check if your university offers a premium version that includes e-filing.

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Freya Thomsen

•8M

Yes, Sprintax does charge separately for state returns, which can add to the cost. Their basic federal return package doesn't include state filing, so you'll need to pay an additional fee for each state return you need to file. Regarding tax treaties, they handle them quite well in my experience. They have a comprehensive database of tax treaties between the US and various countries, including Brazil. The software will ask about your visa status, country of residence, and other factors to determine which treaty benefits apply to your situation. I've found they're particularly good at identifying education-related treaty benefits that many students miss with general tax software.

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Chloe Martin

•8M

I was in the exact same situation last year trying to file my 1040-NR as an international researcher. After hours of frustration with general tax software, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it completely simplified the process for me. Their system actually specializes in nonresident tax situations and guided me through the whole 1040-NR process step by step. What really helped was their document analyzer that could read my university tax documents and W-2 to automatically fill in the right sections. They also had specific guidance for treaty benefits which saved me over $1,200 I didn't know I qualified for. The e-filing was seamless and I got my refund in about 3 weeks instead of the 5 months it took me the previous year with paper filing.

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Chloe Martin

•8M

Yes, the service definitely handles fellowship income. They have specific sections for scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships which are common for international students and researchers. They'll help you determine what portion might be taxable and apply the correct withholding rates. Regarding accuracy and audit concerns, they do offer audit assistance if you need help explaining anything to the IRS later. They're actually built specifically for nonresident situations like ours where the regular tax software usually falls short. I was skeptical too at first, but their specialized knowledge of international tax treaties and nonresident filing requirements really made a difference for my complicated situation.

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Anastasia Sokolov

•8M

Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after I decided to give it a try. I'm honestly surprised at how easy it made the whole 1040-NR filing process! The document scanner saved me hours of manual data entry - I just uploaded my W-2 and the tax statement from my university, and it pulled all the important information automatically. The best part was how it handled my tax treaty benefits from Germany that I didn't even know about. Ended up getting $1,890 more in my refund than I expected! The e-filing went through without any issues and I already received confirmation from the IRS. Definitely recommend for any other international students or researchers struggling with these complicated nonresident forms.

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StarSeeker

•8M

If you're having trouble getting answers about your 1040-NR e-filing from the IRS, I'd highly recommend trying Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent WEEKS trying to get through to an IRS representative about my nonresident filing status questions last year and kept getting disconnected. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in less than 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They basically hold your place in the phone queue and call you when an agent is ready to talk. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed which software officially supports 1040-NR e-filing and explained exactly what I needed to do about my foreign bank accounts reporting. Saved me from potentially making a huge mistake on my forms.

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StarSeeker

•8M

It works by using an automated system that navigates through the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. The service basically stays on hold in your place, and when a human IRS agent finally picks up, they connect the call to your phone. It's not about skipping the line - you're still in the same queue as everyone else, but you don't have to personally sit through the hold music for hours. There's nothing sketchy about it - they don't have special access to the IRS. Think of it like having someone wait in a physical line for you and then calling you when it's almost your turn. The IRS wait times really are terrible right now - I was quoted 2-3 hours when I called, which is why I gave up trying on my own. With Claimyr, I just went about my day and got a call when an agent was available.

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Zara Ahmed

•8M

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After being super skeptical, I tried it yesterday because I was desperate to resolve my 1040-NR treaty benefit questions before the filing deadline. I figured I had nothing to lose. Not only did it work, but I got connected to an IRS international tax specialist in about 35 minutes (when the estimated wait was 2.5+ hours). The agent answered all my questions about treaty articles and confirmed exactly which forms I needed to include with my 1040-NR. She even gave me her direct extension for follow-up questions! For anyone dealing with complicated nonresident tax situations like Form 1040-NR, getting actual clarification from the IRS directly is sometimes the only way to be 100% sure you're doing it right. This service literally saved me days of stress and uncertainty.

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Luca Esposito

•8M

Yes, OLT does handle state returns for nonresidents including California's form 540NR which is indeed quite complicated. They have specific sections for California's unique rules regarding nonresident income allocation and deductions. The state portion did require a bit more manual input compared to the federal section, especially for segregating California-source income from non-California income. But they provide decent guidance along the way with popup explanations for the trickier parts of nonresident state filing.

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