I had no income at all this year, just time in the U.S. as a student. Do I still need Form 8843?
This is one of those questions that feels too basic to still be uncertain about, but the more I read the more I realize the answer may not be intuitive. I had no wages, no scholarship income I need to report, and no U.S. business activity. If this were a normal domestic filing situation, I would assume there is nothing to send in. Yet foreign-student materials keep mentioning Form 8843 even for quiet years.
I want a clean answer before I skip it out of overconfidence. If no-income years can still require Form 8843 because the filing is about presence and exempt-individual status rather than tax due, I want to treat it that way.
Related Questions
I was a J-1 student first and later became a J-1 researcher. Do the same exempt-year rules keep running, or does the category change matter?
The part that confuses me is that I stayed inside J status the whole time, so at first I assumed the same tax rule just kept running. But the IRS material seems to distinguish between students and tea...
I crossed the five-year student limit and may now meet substantial presence. Can the student closer-connection exception still keep me nonresident?
The filing got more serious this year because I may no longer be able to exclude my U.S. days automatically as a student. I had assumed that meant the nonresident story was simply over, but the IRS pa...
What is Form 8843 and do I need to file it if I'm a student or teacher in the U.S.?
I'm an international student on an F-1 visa and I've been told I need to file Form 8843 every year even though I have no U.S. income. I also started a small LLC for a side project. Does the LLC change...
Are there exemptions from the Substantial Presence Test for students, teachers, or diplomats?
I'm a foreign student on an F-1 visa studying in the U.S. and I also started an LLC on the side to do freelance software development. I've been here for 3 years now, so my total days easily exceed 183...
On H-1B, do I really have to count every day in the U.S. for the substantial presence test?
I kept looking for some kind of exempt-individual relief because I assumed all nonimmigrant work visas had at least some day-count exception built into them. The IRS H-1B material makes it sound like ...
My wife is a U.S. resident and I am still a nonresident in the UK. Can we really file one joint return if I was never a U.S. resident this year?
I am a UK founder with a Delaware LLC and around $96,000 of foreign consulting income. My wife lives and works in New York and files as a U.S. resident. I stayed nonresident for U.S. tax purposes all ...
I arrived in the U.S. late in 2025 but will clearly meet substantial presence in 2026. Can I use the first-year choice for my LLC salary period?
I am from Brazil and moved to Miami on November 3, 2025. Before that I lived and worked entirely in Sao Paulo. My U.S. LLC started paying me salary after I arrived, and I also had about $42,000 of for...
I paid AMT a few years ago because of timing items. Can Form 8801 help me now even though I owe no AMT this year?
I am from Canada and in a prior year I had AMT because of timing-related items tied to investments and depreciation. This year my return does not seem to create AMT, but my preparer says I may still n...
I live in Poland and everything is remote. Is it enough to just say that, or do I need a formal facts file?
My U.S. LLC is fully remote from Warsaw and I have no U.S. staff, office, or inventory. Because the facts feel so simple, I was tempted to rely on the story itself instead of building a separate memo ...
I have a U.S. LLC but I do all consulting work from Spain. Does that income count for QBI if it is not ECI?
I am a Spanish consultant with a Wyoming LLC. The company earns around $86,000 a year from mostly U.S. clients, but I do all of the actual work from Madrid and do not travel to the United States. My p...
Have a similar question?
ForeignLLCTax members get expert answers with IRS citations. One CPA consultation costs $200+. Full access is $9.99/month.
Become a Member — $9.99/moDisclaimer: All content on ForeignLLCTax.com is created by a tax professional and is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute tax, legal, or accounting advice, and should not be relied upon as such. Every tax situation is different — for advice specific to your circumstances, please consult a licensed CPA, Enrolled Agent, or tax attorney. By using this website, purchasing a subscription, or accessing any tools or services, you acknowledge that no client-professional relationship is established between you and ForeignLLCTax.com or its operators. This website is not affiliated with the IRS.
