Who Does Not Have to File a Tax Return?
To find out if you have to file a tax return is easy. You just go to the Internal Revenue Service website. Click on the tab labeled, "Individual." Then click on "Do you need to file a federal income tax return?" The link takes you to a series of questions that will lead you to the correct answer.
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Someone's Dependent
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You do not need to file a federal tax return if you are over 65 years old or if you are blind and you can be claimed as a dependent on the tax return of someone else, as long as your gross income was under $6,800 as of 2010 -- find updated limits for later years by following the link in the References section. However, if you are someone's dependent and you are over 65 and also blind, your income can be higher. For 2010, you do not have to file a tax return if you earned less than $7,900 -- but, again, the limits tend to change every year, so follow the link in References to check the level of that limit for later years.
For 2010, if you were married and filing a joint return, but were not over 65 or blind, you were exempt from filing a return unless your income rose above $5,700.
Single People
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Single people who are younger than 65 may not have to file a tax return if their income is under a certain amount per year -- the income limit was $9,350 for the 2010 tax year, but follow the link in References to find the updated filing cap for later years. A single person under 65 who is a widow or a widower and who also has a dependent child can earn considerably more -- the cap was $15,050 for 2010.
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Married or Head of Household
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The head of a household who is younger than 65 does not have to file a tax return if he earns less than $12,000 for the 2010 tax year -- follow the link in References to find the income cap for later years. If the person is over 65, he can typically earn more without having to file. Married people who file a joint tax return can also earn more than the single head of household cap before they have to file a return if they are both under 65. The cap goes up if just one spouse is over 65 and even higher if both people are older than 65.
Exceptions
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Even if you fit one of the circumstances named above so that you do not have to file a tax return, you may still want to file one. Your employer may have withheld some taxes from your paycheck. You may possibly qualify for the earned income tax credit, which could qualify you to receive a refund that is larger than the amount you paid, if any, in taxes. The only way to get money that the Internal Revenue Service owes you is to file a tax return.
Warning
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You may also fit into another category that makes it mandatory for you to file a return even if your income is lower than the minimum required to file. For example, if you earned more than $400 as a self-employed person or if a church, which does not pay Social Security taxes, paid you more than $108.28, you don't have a choice about filing. You must do it. You also have to file if you sold your home during the year, or owe any taxes because of your pension, tips, annuity or railroad retirement income.
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