Hi ,

I am a single Indian and will be working in a university in NY for one year on F1 OPT visa.I will be making $4700/month and would like to know how much I can expect in federal and state tax return at the end of the year.Thanks for your time and effort.

Thanks,
Jojji

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

To do a tax estimate, we need to know the exact dates of your OPT.

Opt date is from sept 1 ,2010 to aug 31,2011

You will file a 2010 return with an income level of about $19,000, of which about $9,500 will be exemt from federal income tax.

The remaining $9,500 will be taxed at 10%, or $950.