Resident F1 Students - Do I Meet Substantial Presence Test After 18 Months?

Great question about your F1 status! The Substantial Presence Test can be tricky for international students. As an F1 student, you're considered an "exempt individual" for the first 5 calendar years you're in the US. This means you don't count days toward the Substantial Presence Test during this exempt period. Since you've only been here for 18 months, you're still within that 5-year exemption window. For your situation, you would generally file as a nonresident alien using Form 1040-NR. Your campus work income is still taxable, but the scholarship portion that covered tuition is typically not taxable if you were enrolled in a degree program. Also, check if your home country has a tax treaty with the US, as that could affect your filing requirements. Many countries have special provisions for students that might reduce your US tax liability.

I had a similar situation and found taxr.ai really helpful for sorting out my F1 tax status. I was also confused about the Substantial Presence Test and wasn't sure if I was a resident or nonresident alien. After struggling with the IRS guidelines and getting conflicting advice from friends, I uploaded my visa documents to https://taxr.ai and they automatically determined my correct filing status based on my entry dates and visa type. Their system correctly identified that I was still in my exempt period as an F1 student and needed to file as a nonresident. They even pointed out that I qualified for certain treaty benefits that my university's international office never mentioned. Saved me from accidentally filing the wrong tax form!

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that someone mentioned above. I was really confused about my F1 status and scholarship taxation too. I uploaded my I-20, visa, and 1098-T forms and it immediately identified I was in my exempt period (been here 2 years) and that I needed to file as a nonresident alien. The best part was it correctly figured out which part of my scholarship was taxable and which wasn't. Apparently the portion covering my tuition and books ($17,500) wasn't taxable, but the housing stipend ($4,200) was. I would have reported this all wrong on my own! They also explained the Form 8843 I needed to file to formally claim my exempt status. Super grateful for the recommendation!

If you're struggling to get answers from the IRS about your F1 status, I'd recommend Claimyr. I spent WEEKS trying to reach someone at the IRS about my international student tax questions and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I found https://claimyr.com and their service connected me to an actual IRS representative in about 15 minutes. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had specific questions about Form 8843 and tax treaty benefits that no one at my university could answer clearly. The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed exactly how to claim my exempt status as an F1 student and walked me through the treaty article that applied to my situation from my home country. Totally worth it to get definitive answers directly from the IRS instead of guessing.

OK I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment I decided to try it anyway because I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my F1 tax situation. I was absolutely stunned when I got a call back in 27 minutes connecting me to an actual IRS representative. The agent confirmed that as an F1 student in my second year, I'm still in the exempt period and shouldn't count my days toward the Substantial Presence Test. She also explained exactly how to fill out Form 8843 to document my exempt status and confirmed which tax treaty benefits I qualify for from my country (India). She even sent me to a special department that handles international student questions where I got even more detailed help. Would've spent another month trying to figure this out on my own. Can't believe it actually worked!

Something nobody mentioned yet - make sure you're checking the tax treaty between your home country and the US! I'm from Brazil on an F1 visa and there's a special provision that lets students exclude a certain amount of income from taxation. Also don't forget about Form 8843! ALL F1 students need to file this form regardless of whether you had income or not. It's how you formally claim your exempt status for the Substantial Presence Test. My university's international student office completely forgot to tell us this my first year.

dont forget to file FBAR if u have foreign bank accounts with more than $10,000 combined at any point during the year!!!! this is separate from tax return and has a diffrent deadline (april 15 with automatic extension to oct 15). penalties r crazy high if u dont file this

I went through this exact same situation last year! As an F1 student, you're definitely still in your exempt period since you've only been here 18 months. The 5-year exemption clock starts from your first entry to the US on F1 status, not from when you complete 5 full years. A few important things to remember: - File Form 1040NR (nonresident alien return) - Don't forget Form 8843 to claim your exempt status - this is required even if you have no income - Your on-campus work income is taxable, but make sure to check if your country has a tax treaty with the US for potential benefits - Scholarship money for tuition/required fees is generally not taxable, but amounts for room/board are Since you mentioned being confused by conflicting info online, I'd recommend reaching out to your university's international student services office - they usually have tax workshops specifically for F1 students during tax season. Also, many universities offer free tax preparation assistance through VITA programs that are trained on international student situations. The key thing is don't stress too much - you're still well within the exempt period and have clear guidance on filing as a nonresident alien!