By Rose Nelson
08-13-2026 11:33 am
Hi, I’m an Australian citizen who is in the U.S. on an F-1 student visa. I was a full-time Division I student-athlete at Fordham University and Bryant University on athletic scholarships, and I also worked one year in Bryant’s laundry department earning a relatively small amount.
I have approximately four years of unfiled U.S. tax returns and would like help determining what I was required to file, whether any portion of my scholarships was taxable, and whether I may owe taxes, penalties, or interest.
Do you have experience handling F-1 international students/student-athletes with multiple years of unfiled returns, and would you be able to help me get everything caught up with the IRS and New Jersey? I’d also appreciate an estimate of your fees for this type of situation.
Response by ADMIN
08-14-2026 03:41 pm
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to Tmax Group.
Please see our responses below:
As an F visa holder, you are generally considered an Exempt Individual from the Substantial Presence Test for your first 5 calendar years in the U.S. We will need to review your U.S. I-94 (Travel History) to confirm your filing status.
Regarding your athletic scholarship, qualified educational expenses (tuition, mandatory fees, and required books) are non-taxable. However, we will need to review your Form 1098-T or 1042-S to determine if any portion (such as room and board) is subject to tax.
If you received a Form W-2, a tax return must be filed for that tax year.
Our firm specializes in international tax compliance, and we have extensive experience resolving multi year unfiled returns.
We will follow up with you via email shortly regarding the next steps and our service fee quote.
Thank you.
