Filing US tax returns in India ???

My brother has returned from US after working in an internship sort of for 6 months. Now he needs to file his tax returns. Can we file the US TAX returns sitting here in India ??
I stay in Mumbai. Any help in this regard will be highly appreciated.
If the above is not possible what other options do i have ?
Is there any last date of filing the returns ?
What if i miss that date ?

G

Yep, I'm doing that as I write this (lotta deductions at my end). He'll have to file his returns online though. Check out turbotax or H&R block. Filing federal returns is free while there's a $20ish fee for state returns that he can pay via a credit card or bank transfer. There's no final date per se, but the earlier he files, the better.

Let me know if you need any help.

P.S.: If he went to the U.S. under the exchange scholar program (J1), I think he might get back all the tax withholdings.

^^yes yes he went on J1 Visa for a period of six months.

Can you tell me how to go about filing the returns from here. Do i need to contact any agent ? Hopefully not
How will i get the money ?

G

Nah, there's no need to contact any of those money grubbers. Head over to turbotax.com or hrblock.com to file his federal and state returns. I hope he has gotten a W2 (a printed form that enlists all the withholdings, earnings for the year).
There was a hot deal two weeks ago wherein H&R Block was offering free premium tax returns with advanced deductions. Unfortunately, I just have one code for my returns and can't share that. Head over to hot deals section on fatwallet.com although I'm not sure if the deal's valid now.

There are two ways of getting a refund - either a check or direct deposit into a bank account. You can request either method at the time of submitting the forms online. The former would probably take ages to get to India and the latter option usually takes 7-15 days to get credited. Does he have a US based bank account (BoA, Wachovia etc.?). That's the easiest and safest option. He could then wire transfer the money to a bank in India.

Hope that helps.

^^i asked my brother and i suppose he does not have a W2. BTW what is this W2 and how can i get it if its not available. But he does have all his salary slips (including the last one which lists all his earnings till date and the federal tax that he has paid till date), SSN, DS2019 (i have no clue what this is, it is some sort of form mentioning "Certificate of eligibility for exchange visitor J-1 Status)

G

The W2 form is a wages and tax statement for the financial year. Did he sign up with ADP the first time he got his salary slip? Check the salary slip - does it say iPay or ADP anywhere? If it does, he can get the W2 online as a PDF file from the ADP web site. If it doesn't, tell him to contact his employer.

You don't NEED the W2 to file taxes but it makes the entire process a lot simpler since most online forms ask for figures and values that are directly stated on the W2. Since he has the final pay slip, I guess he can easily calculate the YTD earnings and pre-tax deductions. YTD federal and state withholdings should be mentioned on the final pay slip as well.

Since he was on a J-1 visa, remember to file the non-resident tax return or form 8843. I just googled around and it does look like earnings on J-1 are not subject to taxes. Lucky ******* lol..

The SSN is important of course. Without that, he doesn't exist in the eyes of the U.S. revenue service (IRS).

^^how can i download the W2 form online and from where ?

G

Huh?

gforce23 said:
......he can get the W2 online as a PDF file from the ADP web site. If it doesn't, tell him to contact his employer.

*paystatements.adp.com/

I tried registering on the website but it wants a pass code. We dont have that and i asked my bro and he says that his employer did not provide any. Is the W2 very much necessary for filing the returns. I am planning to use the turbotax website to file the returns. Should i go ahead with it ?

G

rak007 said:
I tried registering on the website but it wants a pass code. We dont have that and i asked my bro and he says that his employer did not provide any. Is the W2 very much necessary for filing the returns. I am planning to use the turbotax website to file the returns. Should i go ahead with it ?

That's precisely what I said in my previous post. You can only access those statements if his employer uses ADP as the payment service and registration right now is out of the question.

I guess the only option is to go ahead with the pay slips. Make sure he has at least two consecutive pay slips, ideally the last and penultimate ones. That'll help him calculate stuff to enter on the form. Oh and have a calculator handy. You might need it.

What state did he work in? A couple of states offer free state returns, so check before you start filling out the online form on TurboTax.

I'm heading out for the evening but shall be back in a few hours. Feel free to PM if you have any problems down the line.

yes the employer has used ADP since the salary slip has ADP written over it. But its just that he has not provided the pass code or whatever.

I was registering at hr block and on one page i had selected "Not a US citizen" and on next page i got this

Our product does not support Form 1040NR. To file a complete, accurate return, you can work with an H&R Block tax professional using either the H&R Block Online Office service or by going to an H&R Block office

I am not sure if i can continue at this stage

G

Uh oh you are right. My university had helped me out the first time I had filed the 1040NR.
I guess the only option is to download the interactive PDF form from the IRS web site and mail/fax it to them.

Let me see if I can dig something up.

Thanks for the information provided. I'm sure this is going to help me.

gforce23 said:
Uh oh you are right. My university had helped me out the first time I had filed the 1040NR.
I guess the only option is to download the interactive PDF form from the IRS web site and mail/fax it to them.

Let me see if I can dig something up.

please see if you can find something and also suggest other alternatives. One more question.. Even after downloading the interactive pdf will i still have to use any of the two websites you suggested for e-filing the returns? Because in both the websites as soon as i say 'not a US citizen' or give a foreign address they tell me that i cannot efile my returns.
I had previously contacted one of those agents and they are asking a whopping 20% of the refund amount as commission.

B

gforce23 said:
Uh oh you are right. My university had helped me out the first time I had filed the 1040NR.
I guess the only option is to download the interactive PDF form from the IRS web site and mail/fax it to them.

Let me see if I can dig something up.

gforce23, I stayed in the US for about 9 months last year. Do I need to file 1040NR or 1040A? I believe I will be a resident Alien, as I pass the substantial presence test.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

gforce23 said:
Huh?

*paystatements.adp.com/

thanks

^^^Why are you digging up old threads?
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big_buddy said:
gforce23, I stayed in the US for about 9 months last year. Do I need to file 1040NR or 1040A? I believe I will be a resident Alien, as I pass the substantial presence test.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

If you file online, you do not need to worry about 1040NR/1040A etc. I have used Turbotax and they took care of everything. I only needed to answer the questions the software asked. They filled the required forms in the backgound based on my answers. And I needed the W-2 from my US employer for 2008. Refunds were fast too, I got it direct deposited to my account within 2 weeks of filing. Federal returns were free, for state return filing, the fee was $29.95 plus taxes.

For filing state return online, though, you will need the last year's state PIN if you filed in 2008, or you will need some type of state ID like US driving licence number.

E

I have all the documents ready. I was wondering what would be the best way to send the documents to US. Would fedex be a good option. I am not sure if they deliver to PO Box addresses.

Any ideas ?

^^^For which tax year you want to file your returns? In US, the tax year is the calendar year from 1st Jan to 31st Dec unlike our financial year from 1st April to 31st March of next year. If you want to file for tax year 2009, then the last date was 15th April 2010 for filing unless you filed for an extension, in which case the last date becomes 30th Sept 2010.

The form W2 is issued by the employer(s) after the tax year is over, typically in january of the next year, i.e. Jan'10 for tax year 2009. It is mandatory that you have your W2 while filing returns. When filing, give the option of direct deposit to US based bank account as it is faster, easier and the refund (if any) will get credited after around 10-15 days after it is accepted by IRS. And e-filing is the most convenient option as it is also faster and easier. Paper filing will require more time.

For e-filing you can try turbotax/HR Block, etc. It is very easy and any layman will understand it. Just answer their questions step by step, import data from W2 and the online software will take care of the rest. Federal e-filing by turbotax is even free. State filing will require around $20-30.

BTW, if you missed your deadline of April 15th and did not even file an extension, then IRS will charge you penalties...