The first thing you must do before filing your taxes is to determine whether you are a resident, a nonresident or a dual status alien for tax purposes. Your tax residency status is not the same with your immigration status.

Even though you are a citizen of another country, you might still be considered a U.S. resident for U.S. tax purposes. This is an important first step because it determines who must file a tax return, which forms you have to file, and whether you are eligible for tax treaty benefits. If you determine that you are a nonresident for tax purposes, you may register and file your taxes online.

Determining your tax residency status is not a simple process. It involves several residency determination components including the Green Card Test, Change of Status, Marriage Elections, and the “famous” Substantial Presence Test.

Rather than explaining you all the elements that are included when determining your tax status, we have created an “easy to use” step by step Tax Filing Status determination, using the algorithms presented in the IRS Publication 519, which you can access on registration.