Sprintax
We have purchased a license for the web-based tax return preparation system called Sprintax. This program is designed exclusively for international students and scholars and their dependents who are nonresident aliens. The program aids you in completing forms 1040NR. It takes about 20 minutes to complete the program and print a tax return. Sprintax is written in easy to understand language—you don't have to understand the U.S. tax system; you simply need to answer a few questions about your time spent in the U.S. and any payments you have received. Sprintax does the rest by deciding which tax return to file and putting all the right information on the right lines.
For more information on how to use Sprintax, download their brief informational flyer.
Sprintax has set up a YouTube page with additional resources to help answer some of your tax questions.
Sprintax cannot be used if you are filing as a Resident Alien for tax purposes (meaning you have been in the US for more than 5 calendar years)
*Please note that none of the tax filing programs (Turbo Tax, H&R Block, etc.) designed for the regular (1040) tax forms will work for the 1040NR forms. Even though these tax filing programs seem to work with the information you give it, it is not "asking" you the right questions, and will not fill out your tax form correctly as a Non-Resident Alien.
** Additional note for MA State Tax... you can use Sprintax to file state taxes, but the software will charge you separately for each individual state. Due to how MA state tax forms are released and coded into the software, Sprintax does not often have the MA state forms available until early/mid March. If you plan to use Sprintax for MA state, you can do your Federal paperwork first, file forms, and then return to the software in March to complete your state forms.
A password is required to access Sprintax. You can obtain your password from the International House for a nominal fee of $5.00. If you would like to request and pay for a password electronically, please access the web form at the blue link directly below:
Helpful Information for Using Sprintax
- Documents and information you may need in order to complete your federal and state tax forms:
- Passport
- I-20 or DS-2019
- Social Security Number or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN)
- U.S. entry and exit dates for current and past visits to the U.S.
- W-2 Form
- 1042-S Form (only if your awarded scholarship exceeds tuition and required fees)
- 1099 Form (if you have additional bank account interest that you are declaring for tax purposes)
- Copy of your most recent federal tax return and Form 8843 (PDF) (if you filed one last year)
- When filling in your name, please make sure to enter the name as it appears in your passport—do not use a nickname
- When completing information about the Director of the Academic Program, simply enter “Colleen Callahan-Panday” and the International House contact information
- When completing the Name of the Academic Institution or School that Sponsored your Current Immigration Status, enter:
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
100 Institute Road
Worcester, MA 01609
- Generally, your Country of Tax Residence is your Country of Permanent Residence, which is not the U.S. unless you are a citizen of the U.S. or are a Legal Permanent Resident
- You do not need a Social Security Number or an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) in order to complete Form 8843
- When using Sprintax, you will still need to print out (and sign) your tax form and mail it to the IRS. The address that you would send it to is:
Internal Revenue Service Center
Austin, TX 73301-0215
- Make sure to keep a copy of all the documents you mail
- If you are required to complete a Massachusetts State Tax form, you can also use Sprintax to fill out the correct forms for an additional fee. If you need, Sprintax will also do paperwork for all 50 states (for an additional fee). See Massachusetts State Tax for more information.