Is FreeTaxUSA appropriate for my situation?

Hello FreeTaxUSA Community,

I would like to know if FreeTaxUSA is an appropriate tool to file my taxes for 2023, considering my situation.

I am not a US citizen. I'm from Brazil and I came to the US in 2018 as an international student. For the years 2018 to 2022, I filed my taxes as a nonresident through Sprintax.

Since 2020 I always worked for the same employer through CPT, OPT, and STEM OPT.

In October 2023, my visa changed to H-1B (work visa). Also, in 2023 I completed 5 years living in the USA. Therefore, now I'm a resident for tax purposes.

Lastly, I got married in 2023. My wife is not US citizen. She is from China and she came to the US in 2021 as an international student. She has been filling her taxes as a nonresident through Sprintax.

These are my questions:
1 - Considering my situation, would FreeTaxUSA be appropriate to file my taxes for 2023?

2 - If FreeTaxUSA is appropriate, would I need the Pro Support to file my taxes due to my situation?

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

rachels

Hi lucaszwk,

If you are considered a full year resident of the US for 2023, then you can typically use our software to file your tax return. You will need an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) to file your tax return. Please note, though, that if you have nonresident income in addition to your income earned in the US, we may not support your situation. You can check with FreeTaxUSA's support team if you run into a specific issue with this as you enter your information in your account.

There are a couple of options available for resident taxpayers with nonresident spouses. You can choose to each file your individual returns, or you can make an election to treat your spouse as a resident for tax purposes to file as Married Filing Jointly. For more information on the options available to you, please see:

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-spouse

You may not need to upgrade to Pro Support, but it depends what you are looking for. FreeTaxUSA offers normal customer support assistance for no charge, but if you need tax advice, you would want to upgrade to Pro Support.

lucaszwk

Thanks for the information Rachel!
How can I contact the normal customer support assistance?

RBorch

https://community.freetaxusa.com/discussion/comment/1129#Comment_1129

Once you have created an account and are signed into the software you can click on Support at the top right-hand side of the screen then click on Support Center. In the Support center you will be able to search a question you have, or you can click on Contact Support to email your question to a Customer Support Agent.

lucaszwk

https://community.freetaxusa.com/discussion/comment/1131#Comment_1131

Thanks! 😊

kimyoun43

https://community.freetaxusa.com/discussion/579/is-freetaxusa-appropriate-for-my-situation

Yes, based on your situation, FreeTaxUSA can be appropriate for filing your 2023 taxes since you are now a resident for tax purposes due to the substantial presence test and H-1B status.

However, your wife is likely still a nonresident, so if you choose to file Married Filing Jointly, she must elect to be treated as a resident for tax purposes under IRC Section 6013(g)—this is possible, but FreeTaxUSA may not guide you through it smoothly.

So:

Yes, FreeTaxUSA can work for you.
You may need Pro Support, especially for help with the nonresident spouse election and making sure you're filing correctly as a new resident.