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How Much Do You Have to Make to File Taxes in 2024?
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Although submitting a tax return is an annual duty for most people, not everyone has to file. Generally, people who make below a certain income may be able to skip the paperwork.
According to IRS Publication 501, here's how much you have to have made in 2023 to be required to file taxes in 2024, as well as the general rules for whether you have to file a federal tax return this year.
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How much do you have to make to file taxes?
You probably have to file a tax return if your 2023 gross income was at least $13,850 as a single filer, $27,700 if married filing jointly or $20,800 if head of household. If you were 65 or older at the end of 2023, those minimum income limits are higher.
Minimum income requirements for filing a 2023 tax return
Tax filing status | Under 65 | 65 and older |
---|---|---|
Single | $13,850. | $15,700. |
Married, filing jointly | $27,700 if both spouses are under age 65. $29,200 if one spouse is under age 65 and one is 65 or older. | $30,700 if both are 65 or older. |
Head of household | $20,800. | $22,650. |
Married, filing separately | $5. | $5. |
Qualifying widow(er) | $27,700. | $29,200. |
» MORE: When are taxes due this year? Tax day and other important tax deadlines
Dependent income requirements for filing a tax return
If someone can claim you as a dependent, the rules change. You have to file a tax return if any of the following apply.
Dependents who are single
Under 65 | 65 and older | 65 or older and blind | |
---|---|---|---|
Your unearned income was more than ... | $1,250. | $3,100. | $4,950. |
Your earned income was more than ... | $13,850. | $15,700. | $17,550. |
Your gross income was more than the larger of ... |
|
|
|
Dependents who are married
Under 65 | 65 and older | 65 or older and blind | |
---|---|---|---|
Your unearned income was more than ... | $1,250. | $2,750. | $4,250. |
Your earned income was more than ... | $13,850. | $15,350. | $16,850. |
Your gross income was more than the larger of ... |
|
|
|
Note: You also must file a return if your gross income was at least $5 and your spouse files a separate return and itemizes deductions. |
If you fit any of the requirements, you have to file a tax return even if:
You are a minor.
You lived or earned money in another country.
You lived in Puerto Rico.
You had income from Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, or the U.S. Virgin Islands (but special rules apply; see IRS publication 570 for help).
» MORE: First-time filer? See our guide to filing your taxes this year
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Do I have to file taxes?
There are other situations that require filing a tax return. Regardless of income, you'll generally have to file taxes if:
You had self-employment net earnings of at least $400.
You received distributions from a health savings account, Archer Medical Savings Account or Medicare Advantage MSA.
You owe taxes on an IRA, health savings account or other tax-favored account.
You owe taxes on household employees.
You owe alternative minimum tax.
You made more than $108.28 from a church or church organization.
You owe recapture taxes.
You owe Social Security or Medicare tax on tips you didn’t report to your employer or that your employer didn’t already take out of your pay.
Advance payments of the premium tax credit were made for you, your spouse or a dependent who got health coverage through the insurance marketplace.
You owe uncollected Social Security, Medicare or railroad retirement tax on tips you reported to your employer or on group-term life insurance and additional taxes on health savings accounts.
» Ready to crunch the numbers? Estimate your refund or bill with NerdWallet's tax calculator
Don’t have to file a tax return? There’s a big reason you might want to do it anyway
Even if you come to the conclusion that you do not have filing obligations, there are a few reasons you might consider turning in a tax return anyway. For example, you might qualify for a tax break that could generate a tax refund. So give filing some serious consideration if:
You had income tax withheld from your pay.
You made estimated tax payments or had last year’s refund applied to this year's estimated tax.
You qualify for the earned income tax credit.
You qualify for the additional child tax credit.
You qualify for the American opportunity education credit.
You qualify for the .
You qualify for the credit for federal tax on fuels.
If you received a Form 1099-B (“Proceeds From Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions”), you might also consider filing a return if two things are true: Adding the number in box 1d to your other gross income puts you over the income threshold, and box 1e is blank. Filing a return, in that case, could prevent you from getting a notice from the IRS.
Three years to file for an unclaimed refund
If you haven't needed to file in a few years but discover you may have been eligible for tax breaks in the past that would have resulted in a refund, you have three years from the current tax year to file your back taxes and claim those funds.
The IRS estimates that there are over $1 billion in unclaimed refunds for 2020. The deadline to submit a 2020 tax return to recoup those funds is May 17, 2024.
» MORE: How to file past-due tax returns