Please help!

I am an Indian currently on H1 B with status change from F1(OPT) to H1 in FEB 2006.

My employer has sent me two W2 for FY 2006. One being on F1(01/01/2006 to 01/31/2006) and the other W2 for being on H1B(02/02/2006 to 12/31/2006)

I understand that I need to file 1040 as return and attach 1040NR as Dual Status Statement. How do I go about the excempts ?

The 1040 Instructions say that,
"You cannot take the standard deduction even for the part of the year you were a resident alien"

Please shed some light on this.

Thanks,
Nimi

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Finally, the best thing I like about the IRS is that their agents usually give BOTH their first and last names, and ALWAYS give an ID number, which they will be glad to repeat if you are unable to catch it the first time. This way, if you happen to have a problem with an IRS agent, you can identify to his/her supervisor who s/he was. If this does not turn out that way for you, I would be surprised. If it does, I accept thank you payments, and e-mails; I'd be happy to hear about your experiences in this. Good luck!

Avataress:

I agree that the IRS representatives are universally courteous and professional. However, their advice, at times, is less than accurate, especially for international tax issues.

However, the IRS has a separate International Tax Hotline at 215-516-2000 that is available up to 11 P.M. EST. The representatives on THIS hotline are specifically trained in inernational tax issues.

Nimi:

If you file as a dual-status alien, you CANNOT claim the standard deduction UNLESS you are an Indian citizen, in which case you CAN claim the standard deduction IF you made at least $5,150 while on F-1 status.

What happens if in this dual-status year, you make no money during your OPT and are salaried on H-1B ? As an Indian, do you take std. deduction on form 1040... or are you allowed to take that deduction only on 1040NR ?

Thanks

That is not clear. I suspect you can STILL take the standard deduction, but I am not sure.