Hi,

I was based in the US for 5 years on a J-1 visa and became a resident alien for tax purposes in 2016. I stayed in the US for an extra year and, due to visa restrictions, I was required to return back to my home country in September 2017.

I was in my home country for the remainder of 2017, so I assume this makes me a dual-status taxpayer? My assumption is that I was a resident for Jan-Sept and a non-resident for Oct-Dec. If so, there are very few resources that explain how to complete my tax return. I know that I will be required to paper file two tax returns (one for the resident portion and one for the nonresident portion). But if I earned no US income during my non-resident period, how do I complete the non-resident tax return?

Thanks for any help. US taxes are a nightmare to figure out, especially when you can't use those nifty online tools that do everything for you.

I was in my home country for the remainder of 2017, so I assume this makes me a dual-status taxpayer?=======>I do not thnk so once yu were treated as a US resident for tax purposes, you are still regarded s a US resident.

My assumption is that I was a resident for Jan-Sept and a non-resident for Oct-Dec. If so, there are very few resources that explain how to complete my tax return. I know that I will be required to paper file two tax returns (one for the resident portion and one for the nonresident portion).====>Yu said that you were treated as a US resident for tax purposes while you were a J1 visa holder, then you still need to file your US return as a US resident not a dulia status filer. As you can see, as a US resident, yu need to report both US source and world wide income on yur US return.

But if I earned no US income during my non-resident period, how do I complete the non-resident tax return=====>Then you do not need to report it since you earned no US income during your non-resident period