Thanks for this! I had no idea about Form 8843 being required even without income. Do you know if there's a deadline difference for that form compared to the regular tax filing deadline?

The Form 8843 follows the same deadline as your tax return, which is generally April 15th for the previous tax year. However, if you don't have any income to report and are ONLY filing Form 8843 (no 1040-NR needed), then you actually have until June 15th to submit it. Since you mentioned having research assistant income, you'll need to file both Form 8843 and Form 1040-NR by the April 15th deadline (unless you file for an extension). Make sure you keep copies of everything you submit - international student tax records can be important for future visa applications or if you eventually apply for permanent residency.

Most free services don't support Form 1040-NR which international students need to file. I tried FreeTaxUSA last year and had to stop halfway when I realized it wasn't designed for nonresident aliens. Ended up using Sprintax which costs money but handles both federal and state correctly for F1 students.

That's good to know about responding within the deadline regardless. My notice says I have until May 3rd to respond. Do you know if a partial response is better than nothing if I'm still gathering all my documentation?

Absolutely - a partial response is much better than no response. Just make sure to clearly state in your letter that you're still gathering additional documentation and will submit it as soon as possible. I'd suggest sending what you have by the deadline along with a letter explaining your situation and requesting an extension for the remaining documentation. Be specific about what additional records you're trying to obtain and when you expect to have them. The key is showing the IRS you're actively working on resolving the issue, not ignoring it.

This is super important advice! Happened to me with Kraken - they sent a corrected 1099 but the IRS used the original incorrect one for my CP2000 notice. Took me forever to straighten out.

No kids in our situation, so I don't think Head of Household would apply to me. Do you know if there's any specific documentation the IRS required when you changed your status? Did they ever question your international marriage?

The IRS never specifically questioned my international marriage documentation. What seemed to matter more was proving my living situation for Head of Household status - I kept utility bills, rent receipts, and childcare documents showing I maintained the household separately. For your situation without children, you're right that Head of Household wouldn't apply. Since you don't have a formal divorce or legal separation yet, the IRS would technically still consider you married on December 31st. Married Filing Separately would likely be your only option unless you can finalize a legal separation document before the end of the year.

Unfortunately, the IRS is pretty strict about this. I tried filing as single when separated from my German husband and got a letter from the IRS months later questioning my filing status. Had to refile as married filing separately and pay penalties. Unless you have that legal document, they consider you married on Dec 31 = married for tax purposes.

Yes! I did this last year. When you file your return, there's an option to apply your refund to next year's estimated taxes, but for past balances you need to call them. Once you have your return processed and the overpayment confirmed, call and ask them to apply it to your outstanding balance instead of issuing a refund.

That's impressive! I had a similar issue with a 1099-K that was issued in error by a payment processor. They reported the gross amount of money that passed through my account (including refunds and personal transfers) as income. Took three letters and almost 5 months, but finally got it resolved. The CP2000 notice is scary when you first get it, but it's just a proposal and definitely worth contesting if there's an error!

Thanks for mentioning this. I hadn't even thought about renouncing, but it makes sense for the long term. Would I still need to report the inheritance before renouncing? And about how much does the whole renunciation process cost?

Yes, you would need to become tax compliant before renouncing, which means reporting the inheritance and filing the required back taxes through the Streamlined program. The US won't let you renounce to escape tax obligations, so addressing your current situation is the first step. The renunciation process itself currently costs $2,350 USD in government fees, which is unfortunately quite high. You'll also need to pay for a US passport first (roughly $165). Some US embassies have long waiting lists for renunciation appointments, so it might take 6-12 months from when you decide to renounce until it's finalized. Despite these costs, many accidental Americans find it worthwhile to avoid a lifetime of US tax filing requirements.

This is such important advice! My cousin lost her disability payments for 6 months because she didn't properly report a much smaller inheritance. Different country, but same concept - many disability programs have strict asset reporting requirements.