Resources for Filing Your Resident Tax Return

Are you a resident alien?

The first thing Sprintax does is determine your federal tax status 

Federal Tax Status: "Resident Alien"

Students and Scholars raising hands
Tax Status vs Immigration Status

Students and scholars in F‐1 or J‐1 status are often surprised to learn that have become a “resident alien for tax purposes” because nothing has changed---they are still in a nonimmigrant status. Your tax status, however, is separate from your immigration status. This resource page is to help you understand your resident tax status and file a tax return, if needed.

Scholar reviewing document
File the correct type of tax return

Make sure you're a resident for federal tax purposes. TurboTax and similar products are for a resident tax return. If you are considered a nonresident, you must file a nonresident tax return instead. Learn more by reviewing the Nonresident or Resident Alien information on our U.S. Tax Basics page.

Documents
 Reasons why you may have become a "resident alien"
  • You became a green card holder (U.S. permanent resident) in the past tax year. 
  • You are an F-1 or J-1 student (or an F-2 or J-2 dependent) who has exceeded 5 tax years in student status, not necessarily
    consecutive. Any time (even a day) spent in the U.S. during a calendar year counts as one tax year.
  • You are a J-1 scholar (or a J-2 dependent) who was in the U.S. for more than 2 out of the last 6 tax years. Any time (even a day) spent in the U.S. during a calendar year counts as one tax year.
Happy students
Some positive aspects of resident tax status:
  • You don't file Form 8843 or any other similar form if you didn't have any income, from the US and/or abroad. Residents need to report worldwide income.
  • You can file electronically. The nonresident return is still paper that has to be mailed to the IRS.
  • You can file a joint tax return if you're married
  • You may be able to claim a variety of credits,exemptions or deductions for children
  • You may be eligible for education credits (Form 1098-T is needed)

Filing a Resident Tax Return

When you are certain you are a resident for federal tax purposes, here are some resources available to you.

Note: Columbia provides free use of Sprintax for nonresident federal tax forms because the rules for nonresidents are different from rules for residents and are not well known. In contrast, residents have many free resources they can use.

State Tax Return

Don't forget -- you may also need to file a tax return for each state in which you had income.

Keep in mind that each state has its own income tax regulations and forms. 

If you use an online tax preparation system, after completing your federal tax return, it should guide you to complete your state tax return.

New York State tax residency rules are different than federal tax status rules. The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance provides free e-file for those with income up to $73,000.