Has anyone used Sprintax for filing their Non-Resident Alien tax return? My university gives us free access to it, but I'm not sure if it handles these tax treaty situations correctly, especially if there were withholding mistakes during the year.

I went through this exact same situation last year as an F1 student from Canada! The key thing that helped me was understanding that even though you filled out the W-8BEN, your university's payroll system might not be properly configured to apply the tax treaty exemption automatically. Here's what worked for me: I had to go to the payroll office with a printed copy of the specific tax treaty article (Article 20 for Canada, but yours will be different for Malaysia) and explicitly request that they update my withholding status. Sometimes they need to manually override their system to stop the automatic withholding. Also, keep detailed records of everything - all your pay stubs, the W-8BEN you submitted, and any correspondence with the payroll office. If they can't fix it immediately, you'll definitely be able to get a full refund when you file your tax return next year. The IRS is actually pretty good about honoring tax treaty exemptions for F1 students once you have all the proper documentation. Don't give up - this is a really common issue that gets resolved once the right people understand your situation!

This is exactly why I always tell people to pay tax prep fees upfront! The "convenience" of having fees deducted from your refund ends up costing you more money AND delays your refund. Between the $39 SBTPG processing fee and the extra week they hold your money, you're basically paying for the privilege of getting your own money later. For anyone filing next year - just budget to pay the TurboTax fees with a credit card when you file. You'll get your full refund directly from the IRS faster and without any third-party middleman taking a cut. The "convenience" fee is never worth it!

I wish I had found this thread before filing! I had the exact same experience with SBTPG and was completely confused when I saw that name on my bank statement instead of "IRS TREAS." The $39 fee really stings when you realize you're paying extra just to avoid putting the TurboTax fee on your card upfront. What really bothers me is how buried this information is during the filing process. TurboTax makes it sound like you're just deferring payment, but they don't clearly explain that a third party will be handling your refund and taking an additional fee. I spent way too much time worrying that something fraudulent had happened to my refund. Definitely paying the prep fees directly next year - the "convenience" isn't worth the extra cost and delay!

I'm a bit confused about one thing - if I did have a funded Robinhood account with some activity, what tax software is best for handling investment stuff? I've only ever used the free version of TaxAct for my super simple returns, but I'm planning to start investing this year.

Emma, you're absolutely right not to worry about tax forms from Robinhood in your situation. Since you never funded the account or made any trades, there's zero taxable activity to report. Robinhood only generates 1099 forms when there's actual financial activity - like stock sales, dividends received, or interest earned on cash balances. Just creating an account doesn't trigger any tax reporting requirements. You won't receive any forms from them, and there's nothing you need to include on your tax return related to this account. It's essentially like signing up for any other app - no tax implications until you actually start using it for financial transactions. If you do decide to start investing in the future, that's when you'd need to pay attention to the tax documents they send. But for now, you can cross this worry off your list completely!

Has anyone mentioned the substantial contribution rules yet? If your LLC is making donations worth more than $5,000, you'll need a qualified appraisal for non-cash donations. And for donations over $500, you need to file Form 8283 with your tax return. Also, the rules are different depending on how your LLC is taxed. If it's a single-member LLC treated as a disregarded entity, the donation is treated as coming from you personally. If it's taxed as a partnership or S-corp, the deduction passes through to your personal return but with different limitations. This is definitely not a DIY situation - get a good tax professional who understands both business taxation and non-profit rules.

I've been following this discussion with great interest as someone who's navigated similar waters. One critical aspect I haven't seen fully addressed is the potential for excess benefit transactions under IRC Section 4958. When you're the founder/controller of both the LLC and the non-profit, the IRS may view you as a "disqualified person" under the intermediate sanctions rules. This means any transaction between your entities must provide no more than reasonable compensation or fair market value to avoid penalty taxes. The $120K in "donations" you're describing could be scrutinized not just as potentially inflated charitable deductions, but as excess benefits flowing to you indirectly through your non-profit. The IRS might argue that you're effectively paying yourself through the non-profit while claiming tax deductions through the LLC. A few key points to consider: - Document fair market value for any goods/services transferred - Ensure your non-profit's board (if you have independent members) formally approves accepting these contributions - Consider whether some of these expenses might be better classified as program-related investments rather than donations - Be prepared to demonstrate that the non-profit is serving a genuine charitable purpose beyond just providing you tax benefits Given the complexity and audit risk, I'd strongly recommend getting an opinion from a tax attorney who specializes in exempt organizations, not just a general CPA.

Has anyone had experience with how state taxes work with dual-status federal returns? I'm in a similar situation but also worried about state filing requirements. California seems particularly aggressive about taxing people with any connection to the state.

I went through a very similar situation last year and can confirm you'll need to file as dual-status. The IRS is pretty strict about this - if you change residency status during the tax year, dual-status filing is mandatory regardless of how simple your income situation might seem. For your capital gains, since you sold the stocks while physically present in the US (before May 2025), they'll be reported on the Form 1040 portion of your return, not the 1040NR. This is because the US has taxing rights on capital gains realized while you were a US resident for tax purposes. One thing to watch out for - make sure you're calculating your exact residency termination date correctly using the substantial presence test. It might not be exactly when you physically left in May, depending on your presence history in prior years. The IRS has specific rules about this that can affect which form certain income items go on. I ended up hiring a CPA who specializes in international tax because the dual-status rules are genuinely complex, but I know that's not always budget-friendly. If you do go the DIY route, make sure to attach a statement to your return explaining the dual-status filing and clearly marking which periods each form covers.