Hi,

I graduated from Illinois Aug 2008 and currently in Arizona working for a company. I was on F1 and now I am on OPT. My employer will file for my H1 visa this April.

I have the necessary W2 from Illinois and Arizona. I am not sure how to go about filing my taxes as in the university we had a lawyer. I also purchased a car in Dec 2008 and started Payment in February this year. Can I get any return for this? Also I did some donations which were non taxable. Where does all this info go?

Thanks,
Narm

On F1/OPT you are exempt from residency for 5-years. You must file non-resident tax return Form 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ and Form 8843.

Your income is not subject to FICA taxes but you must pay federal and state income taxes. On your income you will get deduction based on tax treaty between the U.S. and your country. Read: Your U.S. Tax Return: U.S. Tax Filing Requirements for Non-Residents (http://taxipay.blogspot.com/2008/03/us-tax-filing-requirements-for-non.html)

You did not make any payment for car in 2008, so you can not take personal property tax deduction. Donations are itemized deduction. If you have donations deduction use Form 1040NR.

Thanks.