Federal Income Taxes: How Much Money Do You Have to Make to File Taxes

Federal Income Taxes: How Much Money Do You Have to Make to File Taxes
Page content

Income Tax Season

If you have not made a lot of money in 2010 you may be wondering how much money do you have to make to file taxes? Even if no income tax is owed, the Internal Revenue Service dictates who must file a tax return. The IRS provides several pages on their website outlining the rules of who must file. Here the rules will be put in an easy to understand form.

First, if you had income taxes withheld from your paycheck or pension check, you have to file income taxes to get a tax return. The government already has your tax money, so file your taxes and get some or all of the withheld money back. This article will give you an overview of the income tax system.

Income Limits by Filing Status

If you are under the age of 65, here are the income limits above which you must file income taxes:

  • Single: $9,350
  • Married Filing Jointly: $18,700
  • Married Filing Separately: $3,650
  • Head of Household: $12,000
  • Qualifying Widow(er): $15,050

If you are over age 65, the income limits for tax filing are higher in most cases:

  • Single: $10,750
  • Married Filing Jointly: $20,900, if one spouse is under age 65 the filing limit is $19,800
  • Married Filing Separately: $3,650
  • Head of Household: $13,400
  • Qualifying Widow(er): $16,150

If someone else claims you has a dependent, you have different limit for filing a tax return. If your unearned income – interest and dividends – is above $950 or your earned income – wages or salary – is above $5,700. If you have both earned and unearned income you must file taxes if the total is greater than $950 or earned income is greater than $600 and unearned income is greater than $300.

Special Cases for Filing Taxes

The IRS has a list of circumstances where a tax return must be filed. If any of these criteria are met, you must complete and send in a tax return. Here is a list of the most common possibilities if you do not have income level above those listed in the previous section.

  • Self-employment income greater than $400.

  • Wages of $108.28 or more from a church that is exempt from paying Social Security as an employer.

  • Social Security and Medicare taxes are owed on tips received.

  • During the year you received Earned Income Credit from your employer.

  • You owe tax on an IRA or other tax-deferred program. This would be a special tax if you took an early distribution or made excess contributions.

Recap on Filing Taxes

For most people the requirement to file income taxes will be driven by whether they had taxes withheld at work or exceed the income limits outlined in Section 2. If you are self-employed or work for a church, plan on filing income taxes. If you think you are covered by one of the other reasons to file, call the IRS at 800-829-1040.

If you must file your taxes check into filing the simplified 1040EZ tax return.

Resources

IRS.gov: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96623,00.html

Photo by alan cleaver 2000 on Flickr Creative Commons Attribution