[ashtev]

Hi everyone,
I am really confused and would appreciate some feedback into how I should proceed with my taxes.

My background:
I am a non-resident alien, Canadian citizen who is a masters student studying and residing in NJ. During 2006, I worked on campus for a few months and receieved a W2 for that period. Afterwards over summer I took up a position as an independent contractor in NYC. I was issued a 1099 MISC.

My problem:
I used CINTAX to file my federal returns and they seem to be in order. However, I'm having a bit of difficulty wrapping my head round the state taxes. These are my specific problems:

1) I filed my NJ state taxes electronically through NJ WebFile - Redirect. However, I came to know that I should have filed my non resident NY taxes ( IT 203) first before filing NJ. What should I do now?

2) Since my W2 was from NJ and my 1099 Misc from NY, I am confused over whether I should declare my NJ income on my NY state taxes. Should I just declare my 1099 Misc amount on my IT 203 and declare both NY and NJ income for my NJ filing?

3) During last year's tax filing season I did not have any income to report and so I mistakenly assumed that I did not have to file taxes. I recently found out that I have to file the Form 8843 alone if you don't have income. Can I file Form 8843 for 2005 now?

4) I received a 1099 Misc. form with $8904 in box # 7. I used CINTAX and it shows that I owe $467.12 in taxes. This amount seems high, particularly when al my friends are getting refunds. Could I possibly have made a mistake?

American taxes seem very complicated, I would appreciate it if someone could help me.

Thank you!

[AtlantaTaxExpert]

We have communicated by email and have resolved this issue.