Hi,

I have a question regarding the tax return for 2008. I was working on OPT from Jan 08 to sep 08 and the federal tax(I stay in TN, so no state and city tax) for this period is around $5200(I am single and from India). Legally, from the 1st of October I'm on H1B and the tax I've paid is around $1400. Can you please let me know what are the forms I need to fill and how much money can I expect to get back ( I tried doing the math but ended up finding that I would have to pay)... Thanks in advance!

Vatsan:

First, you need to tell me what you got paid, not just what was withheld.

Second, you need to identify your home country.

Third, you need to tell me when you first arrived in country under (presumably) your OPT F-1 visa.

With that information, I can then do an estimate of your return.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I'm from India (marital status: single) and I came here on F1 visa in Dec 2005. I'm sure this will help you.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I'm from India (marital status: single) and came here on F1 visa in Dec 2005. Salary is 48k. Hope this helps!

You are single and you did not complete SPT during H1-B period, so you can only file non-resident tax return. You will also file Form 8843 for OPT period.

Since you are from India, as per tax treaty, you will claim standard deduction of $5,450 instead of itemized deduction.

In 2009, you will file resident tax return if you are in the U.S. Read: Your U.S. Tax Return: The U.S. Visas (http://taxipay.blogspot.com/2008/08/us-visas.html)

With a salary of $48,000, your federal tax liability will be about $6,100, so your refund will be in the $500 range.