Am I considered as non resident alien for tax year 2020 ? If so, standard deductions are not applicable ?
How do I choose non resident alien in turbo tax ?
Yes, since you were only physically present in the US for 16 days, you will need to file as a non-resident. You must have been here for at least 31 days in 2020 to file as a resident. There are no COVID exceptions to this rule. You may file your 1040 NR with sprint tax as they are a trusted affiliate.
Possibly. What visa do you have? Standard deductions may be available under some treaties.
IRS Publication 519 states:
Substantial Presence Test
You are a resident for tax purposes if you meet the substantial presence test for calendar year 2020. To meet this test, you must be physically present in the United States on at least:
For nonresident tax returns, TurboTax refers customers to Sprintax.
I was on H visa. But was on US payroll till end of March 2020, after I couldn't travel back due to Covid issues.
It depends. What H visa did you have? Was it the H1 Visa , the H1-B visa, or some other H visa?
Yes, since you were only physically present in the US for 16 days, you will need to file as a non-resident. You must have been here for at least 31 days in 2020 to file as a resident. There are no COVID exceptions to this rule. You may file your 1040 NR with sprint tax as they are a trusted affiliate.