About us
From Personal Struggle to Student Success
SaveMax CPA was born from real experience—the kind that comes from navigating the US tax system as an international student yourself. Founder Nikhil Kohli knows the challenges firsthand. After moving from India to the United States for higher studies, Nikhil quickly discovered how overwhelming American taxes could be for someone on an F-1 visa. Simple things like understanding Form 1040-NR versus 1040, dealing with state filing requirements across multiple locations, or even figuring out how to mail paper forms to the IRS became major roadblocks. These weren’t just paperwork headaches—they were barriers that distracted from studies, CPT work, and building a future in America.
Nikhil saw students like himself spending hours on confusing software, missing out on FICA refunds they were entitled to, or paying exorbitant fees to generic tax preparers who didn’t understand visa-specific rules. The print-and-mail process alone was a nightmare: finding certified copies, calculating postage, and praying everything reached the IRS correctly. As someone who had juggled campus jobs, OPT applications, and tax deadlines, Nikhil realized there had to be a better way. That’s when he decided to leverage his professional background to create a solution tailored exclusively for international students.
Big 4 Expertise Meets Student Empathy
What sets SaveMax apart is Nikhil’s unique blend of elite professional experience and genuine empathy. Holding a CPA license and an MBA, Nikhil spent over five years at Deloitte and PwC, handling complex international tax matters for multinational clients. He mastered the intricacies of nonresident alien taxation, US-India tax treaty benefits, and compliance requirements that trip up even seasoned professionals. But unlike those Big 4 environments with their high fees and corporate focus, Nikhil brought that same precision to a firm designed for students—affordable, accessible, and understanding of real-life constraints like limited budgets and tight schedules.
At SaveMax, every service reflects this hands-on insight. The $9.99 print-and-mail option? It came directly from Nikhil’s own frustration with mailing Form 8843 or W-7 applications during his student days—postage errors, lost documents, and weeks of uncertainty. FICA recovery services prioritize the exemptions students often overlook, just as Nikhil did in his early OPT phase before learning the rules. State filing support addresses the chaos of working across campuses or internships in different states, a common reality Nikhil lived through while balancing academics and part-time roles.
A Firm Built for International Students
SaveMax CPA isn’t a general tax firm trying to serve everyone. We’re specialists in the unique world of international student taxation—F-1 visas with on-campus work, CPT and OPT transitions, J-1 exchange visitors, and even H-1B starters. We handle the paperwork maze so you don’t have to: Form 1040-NR optimization, multi-state coordination, ITIN applications that actually get approved on the first try, and Form 843 claims that recover every eligible dollar from overwithheld Social Security and Medicare taxes.
Our team operates with the efficiency Nikhil learned in Big 4 audit rooms but with the approachability students need. No jargon-filled consultations or upselling unnecessary services. Instead, clear explanations in plain English (or Hindi if preferred), rapid response times to fit your class schedule, and transparent pricing that starts lower than competitors while delivering higher expertise. We’ve helped hundreds of students just like you maximize refunds averaging over a thousand dollars, protect their visa compliance records, and eliminate tax stress entirely.
From Personal Struggle to Student Success
SaveMax CPA was born from real experience—the kind that comes from navigating the US tax system as an international student yourself. Founder Nikhil Kohli knows the challenges firsthand. After moving from India to the United States for higher studies, Nikhil quickly discovered how overwhelming American taxes could be for someone on an F-1 visa. Simple things like understanding Form 1040-NR versus 1040, dealing with state filing requirements across multiple locations, or even figuring out how to mail paper forms to the IRS became major roadblocks. These weren’t just paperwork headaches—they were barriers that distracted from studies, CPT work, and building a future in America.
Nikhil saw students like himself spending hours on confusing software, missing out on FICA refunds they were entitled to, or paying exorbitant fees to generic tax preparers who didn’t understand visa-specific rules. The print-and-mail process alone was a nightmare: finding certified copies, calculating postage, and praying everything reached the IRS correctly. As someone who had juggled campus jobs, OPT applications, and tax deadlines, Nikhil realized there had to be a better way. That’s when he decided to leverage his professional background to create a solution tailored exclusively for international students.