Nolly.com is listed by the IRS as a Certifying Acceptance Agent in Canada.See the listing
  1. Home
  2. Services
  3. Form 1040-NR instructions for filing from abroad
Filing from outside the U.S.

Form 1040-NR instructions for filing from abroad

Choose the correct return year and residence status, then reconcile income, withholding and supporting schedules.

From US$199 · one-time fee, confirmed before we start

Taxpayer reviewing income and withholding records
Interview by video callwith a Certifying Acceptance Agent
Checked against IRS.gov, October 3, 20267 min read
Quick answer

Form 1040-NR is the federal individual return used for many nonresident filing obligations. Start by establishing tax residence and which income belongs on the return. Electronic preparation or submission does not change those rules, and a first-time ITIN application normally follows the W-7 package route.IRSIRS

Nolly.com is based in Toronto and works with people worldwide, including people living in the U.S. without an SSN.

Your filing guide

Choose the filing help that fits your records

Start with your income statements and residence history. Nonresident tax returns start at US$199; any ITIN application is priced separately.

Non-resident return

Form 1040-NR for your U.S. income.

fromUS$199one-time fee
Start your tax return
Price set by complexity and confirmed before we start.

Includes:

  • Form 1040-NR prepared from your documents
  • Treaty position reviewed
  • Review with you before filing
  • Filed with the IRS
  • Help by email and phone
On this page0% read
  1. Choose the filing help that fits your records
  2. Establish residence before selecting the form
  3. Build an income list before entering line amounts
  4. Make treaty claims traceable to the actual payment
  5. Reconcile withheld amounts with the tax calculation
  6. Choose the submission route after the return is complete
  7. Your preparation steps
  8. Questions
  9. Sources
from $199 USDOne-time fee, quoted before you pay.See tax return pricing
Your filing guide

Establish residence before selecting the form

Your mailing address does not decide whether Form 1040-NR is correct. Review the green-card and substantial-presence rules, the dates you were in the United States and any applicable exceptions or treaty residence position.Pub. 519 Keep a calendar with arrival and departure dates, visa status and explanations for days that may be excluded.

For a person who has filed before, compare the current year with the prior return. A change in immigration status, presence days or residence can change the analysis. Do not copy last year's form solely because the software still has your old profile. If the year includes both resident and nonresident periods, raise the dual-status question before treating it as an ordinary full-year nonresident return.IRS

Use the instructions for the tax year being filed. As checked on October 3, 2026, the linked IRS page is the 2025 instructions. The current filing date and the tax year on the income forms are different pieces of information. Keep older income statements in a separate folder when preparing more than one year.

Your filing guide

Build an income list before entering line amounts

List each payment or transaction with the payer, gross amount, date, income type and withholding. Typical records include W-2 wages, Form 1042-S payments, rental records and a property-sale closing statement. Describe what the payment represents; a bank deposit alone does not identify the income category or where it is sourced.

The 1040-NR instructions distinguish income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business from certain other U.S.-source income. Schedule NEC addresses income not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business under its rules.IRS Do not put every payment in the same category because all payers are American. The place services were performed and the nature of the payment can matter.

For rental activity or a sale, keep the detailed computation behind the final number: receipts, expenses, acquisition documents, adjustments and prior depreciation where relevant. Discuss the treatment with the preparer before reducing the records to one spreadsheet total. A withholding form reports a payment or credit; it is not the complete calculation of your final tax.

Your filing guide

Make treaty claims traceable to the actual payment

Country of citizenship alone is not a treaty analysis. Identify treaty residence, the income article, eligibility conditions and the payment being addressed.Pub. 519 Keep the payer's withholding documentation and the evidence supporting the claimed treatment. A lower withholding amount during the year does not automatically resolve all questions on the annual return.

Schedule OI asks for information specific to nonresident filers, including treaty-related details where applicable. Some treaty positions require Form 8833, subject to exceptions.IRS Review the disclosure question alongside the tax computation. Do not leave it until the return is ready to transmit.

Deductions also have nonresident limitations. Most nonresident filers cannot claim the ordinary standard deduction; the instructions describe a specific qualifying exception for certain Indian students and business apprentices.IRS That exception should not be copied into another country's return. Tell the preparer about your study or training status and treaty country rather than assuming the software's default deduction fits.

Your filing guide

Reconcile withheld amounts with the tax calculation

Match the tax withheld on each statement to the corresponding return credit. For a property sale, keep the FIRPTA documents with the closing evidence and the final gain calculation. Confirm which seller each form identifies, particularly where several people owned the property. One owner's withholding record should not silently become another owner's credit.

The return compares calculated liability with withholding and other payments. A refund is the result of that comparison, not a guaranteed consequence of being a nonresident.IRS Investigate discrepancies before filing: a name or tax-number mismatch, a missing statement, or a payer's corrected form can change the numbers or the processing evidence.

Check the due-date rules for your facts. The instructions distinguish filers with wages subject to U.S. withholding from certain other nonresident filers, and they explain extensions.IRS An extension of filing time does not generally extend payment time. Review the deadline and any expected unpaid balance together rather than assuming overseas residence means every obligation is postponed.

Your filing guide

Choose the submission route after the return is complete

Electronic filing can be available for Form 1040-NR through a suitable provider, but check the provider's support for your year, schedules and identification circumstances.IRS Online preparation alone does not prove that transmission occurred. Keep the submitted copy and the acceptance or rejection response, and address a rejection before treating the return as filed.

If you need an ITIN for the first time, the usual W-7 route attaches the federal return to the application. The IRS assigns the number and forwards that return for processing.IRS Coordinate this route with the return preparer. Independently transmitting another copy can complicate follow-up.

Keep a final filing folder with the return, calculation notes, schedules, withholding evidence and submission confirmation. Record questions that remain relevant next year, such as a treaty position or rental treatment. This makes a later IRS question easier to answer and prevents each annual review from starting with an unexplained total.

Your filing guide

Your preparation steps

  1. 1

    Confirm status and year

    Prepare the residence calendar and select the correct tax-year instructions.

    Status
  2. 2

    Classify income and treaty treatment

    Collect payment records and explain the underlying work or transaction.

    Income
  3. 3

    Reconcile payments and schedules

    Match withholding forms and complete required disclosures.

    Reconcile
  4. 4

    Confirm filing and retain evidence

    Choose the permitted submission route and keep the final records.

    File
Questions

Your questions answered

No. Apply the tax-residence rules, including presence and any relevant exceptions or treaty position.Pub. 519

No. Income type, source and connection to a U.S. trade or business affect reporting.IRS

No. Most cannot; the instructions describe a limited qualifying Indian student or business-apprentice exception.IRS

No. Confirm actual submission and, for electronic filing, the provider’s acceptance response. A first ITIN application usually follows the separate W-7 package route.IRSIRS

More questions? See the full Nolly.com FAQ.

Sources

How we checked this

Every IRS fact on this page comes from IRS.gov or the other official pages listed below and was checked on October 3, 2026. Nolly.com's own prices are the only exception. Nolly.com is a private company and is not part of the IRS.

Proof Nolly.com is on the IRS list
Excerpt of the IRS page Acceptance agents - Canada showing Nolly Services Inc d/b/a Nolly.com, 265 Rimrock Road, Suite 201, Toronto

Nolly Services Inc, d/b/a Nolly.com, appears on the IRS page Acceptance agents – Canada. Nolly.com is a private company and isn't part of the IRS.

Pages used
  1. Instructions for Form W-7 (Rev. 12-2024)https://www.irs.gov/instructions/iw7
  2. Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Alienshttps://www.irs.gov/publications/p519
  3. Instructions for Form 1040-NR (2025)https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1040nr
  4. Nonresident aliens: filing obligationshttps://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-aliens
  5. How to apply for an ITINhttps://www.irs.gov/tin/itin/how-to-apply-for-an-itin

Checked against IRS.gov on October 3, 2026. General information, not tax advice.

Your records, reviewed before the filing

Start with the documents and the federal tax purpose.