Finance FAQs

Sprintax was created specifically for international students, scholars, teachers, and researchers in the US on F, J, M, and Q visas, to make tax prep easy and ensure they are fully compliant with the IRS tax rules. So in other words, if you sign up to one of our programmes, you can use Sprintax to pay your tax.

Yes. If you’re a temporary visitor to the US on an H1B, H2B, L, or B1 working visa, J1 Exchange visitor, or a foreign performing artist, athlete, or entertainer on a P or O visa, Sprintax can prepare your US income tax return. However, you must be classified as a non-resident for the entire tax year. If you are unsure, Sprintax can review your circumstances and let you know.

Sprintax is easy to use and works as follows:

• You create an account or log in if you’ve already created an account.
• • You then answer some simple questions.
  • Sprintax then reviews your details for all applicable allowances and deductions.
  • Sprintax finalises the calculations and prepares your tax return.
  • You print your tax return, sign it, and mail it to the IRS.

Tip: If your university has given you a link to Sprintax – don’t forget to use it!

Sprintax offers a range of services to assist in the preparation of tax returns, including the following:

• Federal tax preparation – 1040NR and 1040NR-EZ
• State tax preparation
• Form 8843
• FICA
• W7 – ITIN processing
• Other NR forms and schedules

• Passport
• US entry and exit dates for current and all previous visits to the US
• All tax forms you’ve received (including Forms W-2, 1042-S, and/or 1099, etc.)
• Visa / Immigration Status information, including Form DS-2019 (for J visa holders) or Form I-20 (for F visa holders)
• Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
• If you’re using Sprintax for State Tax Return(s) preparation only, you’ll need a copy of the Federal Tax return you have already prepared

Tips: Make sure that you have all payment documents for the tax year you’re preparing your return for. If you do not have an ITIN, Sprintax can still help you!

If you’ve never received a Social Security Number, you will need to apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to enable you to file your taxes.

• When filing your tax returns
• When claiming treaty benefits

Sprintax can organize this for you.

If you were married on the last day of the tax year, you do not have the option to file a return jointly with your spouse if both you and your spouse are non-resident aliens. If you file Form 1040NR, your only option is to file a single tax return (married non-resident alien status is also treated as a single).

Dependent is a broad definition of a child or another member of your household. In general, non-residents are not allowed to claim dependents on their tax returns. However, residents of Canada, South Korea, Mexico, and some students or business apprentices from India may claim dependency exemptions for their family members the same way as residents of the US if certain conditions are met. You must use Form 1040NR to claim a dependent; the exemption cannot be taken on Form 1040NR-EZ.

The tax filing deadline usually falls on Apr 15 of the following year for which the tax return is being prepared. If Apr 15 is a public holiday or a non-working day, it falls on the next workday.

If you’re not able to file your federal income tax return by the due date (April 18th), you may be able to get an automatic 6-month extension. To apply for the additional time, you must file ‘Form 4868: Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File US Individual Income Tax Return’ by the original deadline for filing your tax return (April 18th).

You should note that Form 4868 is an extended deadline to file your tax return but is not an extension of time to pay any money due. If you owe any tax, you must estimate your tax liability on Form 4868 and pay any amount due at that time.

IRS permits people to make monthly payments through an installment agreement if they’re not financially able to pay their tax bill immediately. You’ll be required to pay a fee for setting up this agreement. However, it’s worth noting that you’ll reduce or eliminate the amount of penalties and interest you pay and avoid the set-up fee if you pay your tax bill in full when it’s due.

The Sprintax software does not facilitate installment agreements; however, we can still help. Contact the Sprintax team via the online chat system for additional information about installment agreements.

You can check the status of your federal tax refund at any time by using the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on the IRS website. You can also call the IRS TeleTax System at (800) 829-4477 or the IRS Refund Hotline at (800) 829-1954. When you call or visit the IRS website, you’ll need the following information:

• The first social security number shown on the federal return
• Your filing status (single or married filing separately etc.)
• The exact amount of the refund shown on your federal return ($ amount of the refund)

Yes! Sprintax is approved by the IRS for Federal Filing. This means you can file your Federal tax return electronically from the comfort of your own home!

If you underpaid your taxes, you need to pay the outstanding amount to the relevant tax office before the tax filing deadline. The annual deadline for most people to file their federal income tax return and pay any taxes they owe is April 18. If you end up owing additional taxes with your return, you have various options to pay. You can pay by check, bank transfer, or use your credit or debit card.

You may need to prepare a payment voucher and mail it to the IRS with a check or money order if you choose this payment method. If you choose to pay with a payment voucher, Sprintax will provide the filled-out form for you. You’ll find detailed information about the method you have chosen in your instructions.

By law, the IRS may assess penalties to taxpayers for both failing to file a tax return and for failing to pay taxes they owe by the deadline.

If you have been present in the U.S. during the tax year on F, J, M, or Q visa status and did not receive any income you should only file the Form 8843-Statement for Exempt Individuals, to explain the basis of your claim that you can exclude days of presence in the U.S. for purposes of the substantial presence test and to meet the obligations of your academic visa. Form 8843 is not an income tax return. Form 8843 is merely an informational statement required by the U.S. government. Sprintax will help you prepare your 8843 form quickly and easily just by answering our straightforward questionnaire.

All you need to do is:

• Create/log in to your account
• Fill in some information about your stay in the U.S.
• Finalize the process and review your form
• Print, sign, and post to the tax office

In the United States, besides federal taxes, there are also state taxes and local taxes (in addition to many other types of taxes such as FICA, sales, property, etc.). Whether you need to file a state tax return will depend on the tax rules of the state in which you lived and /or worked. Sprintax will prepare your federal tax return (if applicable) and if requested, will also prepare your state tax return.

You can access your Sprintax account for as long as you like and if you choose to use our service for future tax years, you can still access the same account.

You can reset your password by clicking the “Forgot your password?” link in the log-in area. Sprintax will send you a password reset email to the email address you gave us. Can’t see the password reset email sent to you? Check your spam folder in case it’s gone there.

Please make sure you use a valid and current email address and the same one that you used to register with Sprintax.

If you submit the incorrect information on your tax return in Sprintax, you can simply go back through the steps, correct the information, and submit your tax return once again. Sprintax won’t ask you to pay again for the changed tax return.

Please note that you can change any information in your account, such as addresses, names, and other personal data. However, to protect the user’s privacy and security the user is allowed to change just one piece of unique personal information at a time, and these are your Name(s), Date of Birth, and Social Security number. For example, if you made a mistake in your DOB and you want to correct it, you can do that, but you will be unable to change your name or SSN at the same time as those fields will be locked for editing.

If you submit incorrect information on your tax return to the IRS, you will need to correct this by completing and filing a 1040X – Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Sprintax can help you complete your Federal amended tax return. Simply create an account or log into your existing one and tick the box next to “I want to correct my tax return I already sent to the IRS” for the relevant tax year. Next, simply click on Edit and you will be able to proceed with amending your application. Contact the Sprintax team via our online chat system for additional information about amending your state tax return.

Simply enter the code on the ‘Review Your Order’ page to get your discount. You must have a different access code for every tax year and each code can only be used once.

If the Sprintax software does not support your circumstances, your tax return may be prepared offline instead. Please get in touch at info@sprintax.com and your case will be reviewed along with additional information on available offline services and prices.

You can pay by credit card.

If you need to reprint or modify your tax return, simply login to your account and click on the “Download Returns” section on the drop-down menu in the top right corner.

Generally, this could be caused by something in your browser or computer interfering with normal network interaction. The issues that you encounter within your Sprintax account can be solved by: Logging in through a different browser. Some versions of Google Chrome do not comply with the Sprintax software at 100%.
Clearing your browser cache and cookies – a cookie is a small file that is stored on your computer when you visit a website and contains information about your previous interactions with that website. Sometimes cookies can cause problems with your browser loading certain websites, especially if a website has recently gone through an update of its layout. The cache file saves parts of websites you have loaded, but just like cookies, can cause problems if a website has gone through a design change.

Note: Clearing your browser cache and cookies may clear information that is saved to websites you visit, such as any usernames or passwords that may be saved and automatically entered each time you visit that site. Perform a “hard refresh” in your browser (Windows: Ctrl+Shift+R / Mac: Command+Shift+R)

Exact timelines are determined by the IRS on a case-by-case basis. Tax return processing time for paper tax returns (including non-residents 1040NR) is estimated at 4-6 weeks from the moment when the tax return is received by the IRS. Please, allow a further 1-2 weeks for mailing, if you request a check before you contact IRS. Please note the IRS allows up to 6 months for the processing of non-resident returns.

• Non-residents can apply for their tax refunds even after the tax filing deadline, but a return must be filed no more than 3 years after the original deadline for the IRS to issue a refund.
• You should not worry about the penalties and fines if you have no tax liability, the IRS will not penalize you if you do not file a return on time.
• The deadline for filing your Form 8843 is the same as the deadline for filing your tax return.
• If you owe additional tax for the year, you must file a return and pay those taxes on time to avoid late filing and payment interest and penalties. The IRS charges substantial interest and penalties on past-due taxes. Where there are additional taxes due, the IRS treats each late filer individually and calculates penalties and interest based on the balance due shown on the return or adjusted by the IRS. Once the IRS processes your return, they’ll calculate the penalties and interest based on the number of days your return is late, and then send you a separate bill.

For this reason, Sprintax cannot calculate late filing penalties or interest.
The terms of your visa require that you stay in compliance with all laws of the United States, including the rules relating to income tax filing. If you want to apply for permanent residence in the US at a later date you’ll be asked to prove that you have complied with all tax laws.

The Sprintax team is ready to help! Simply log into your account to chat live with an agent.

If you requested a refund of tax withheld on Form 1042-S by filing a Form 1040NR, the IRS may need additional time to process the return. Please allow up to 6 months from the original due date of the 1040NR return (18th of April) or the date you sent your 1040NR, whichever is later to receive any refund due.

If you realize that you made an error on a tax return you already filed, for example, you filed as a resident, or you have come across new information (for example you received an additional W-2 or 1042-S), simply file an amended tax return to correct. Sprintax will help you prepare an Amended Tax Return (Form 1040X), along with the corrected Form 1040NR. The process is quick and easy! Simply log in to your Sprintax account or register to get started.

After you file your taxes, the IRS may contact you to request some additional documents. Dealing with the tax office is not always easy, and Sprintax can support you with any additional paperwork required.

When you sign up for the Sprintax Post-Filing Service, our tax experts will deal with all the additional communication with the IRS on your behalf and will take the burden off your shoulders. With our insurance service, you can enjoy peace of mind that you are fully tax-compliant in the US.