You must file a tax return if your income exceeds certain thresholds set by the IRS

Whether you have to file depends on three things: your age, your filing status, and how much money you made. The IRS publishes income thresholds each year, and they change slightly. For 2024, a single person under 65 must file if their gross income was $14,600 or more. A married couple filing jointly where both are under 65 must file if their combined gross income was $29,200 or more. These numbers are higher if you are 65 or older, and they vary if you are self-employed.

Gross income means all the money you received before deductions — wages from a job, interest from a bank account, rental income, self-employment income, and certain other sources. It does not include money you borrowed or received as a gift. If you are unsure whether your income crossed the threshold, it is safer to file anyway. Filing when you are not required costs nothing and may result in a refund.

Key Takeaways

  • Single filers under 65 must file if gross income was $14,600 or more in 2024; the threshold is higher for those 65 and older and for married filers.
  • Self-employed people must file if net earnings from self-employment were $400 or more, regardless of other income.
  • You may owe taxes even if you are not required to file, so filing can sometimes result in a refund you would otherwise miss.
  • Dependents have lower income thresholds and may be required to file even if their parents are not.
  • The IRS thresholds change each year, so check the current year's limits before deciding not to file.

Filing requirements for self-employed people and business owners

If you earned money from your own business, freelance work, or gig economy jobs, the rule is different. You must file a tax return if your net self-employment income — the money left after business expenses — was $400 or more. This applies even if you had no other income and would not otherwise be required to file.

Self-employment income includes money from 1099 work, rental property, farming, and side businesses. You report this on Schedule C (Form 1040) or Schedule F if you farmed. The $400 threshold exists because self-employed people owe both income tax and self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare), and the IRS wants to collect that self-employment tax once you cross that earnings level.

Filing requirements for dependents

A dependent — usually a child or young adult claimed on someone else's tax return — has lower income thresholds than an independent filer. In 2024, a dependent must file if their earned income (wages from a job) was $14,600 or more, or if their unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gains) was $1,250 or more.

This matters because many teenagers work part-time and may not realize they have crossed the threshold. A dependent who earned $15,000 from a summer job must file, even though their parents are not required to file. The dependent's parents can still claim them on their own return while the dependent files their own return.

When you should file even if you are not required to

Filing is optional if your income is below the threshold, but you may still owe a refund. If your employer withheld federal income tax from your paychecks, you will not get that money back unless you file. The same is true if you paid estimated taxes, had taxes withheld from a 1099 job, or are may have access to to a refundable tax credit like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

The EITC is a major reason to file even when not required. It is a refund that can be worth thousands of dollars, and you only receive it if you file a return claiming it. If you had a child born in 2024, you may be may have access to to the Child Tax Credit, which also requires filing. If you paid student loan interest or made contributions to a traditional IRA, filing lets you claim those deductions.

Special situations that require filing

Certain situations require you to file regardless of income. If you received a distribution from a health savings account (HSA) and it was not for a may have access to medical expense, you must file. If you had net earnings of $108.28 or more from church employee wages, you must file. If you owe self-employment tax, you must file even if your other income is below the threshold.

If you received a Form 1099-NEC for nonemployee compensation, you should file to report it, even if the amount is small. If you sold a home and have a capital gain, you may be required to file depending on the gain amount and your filing status. If you received unemployment benefits in 2024, you may owe tax on part of them and should file to report them.

How to determine your filing status

Your filing status affects your income threshold. The five filing statuses are single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household, and may have access to widow(er). Your status on December 31, 2024, is the one you use for the entire year. If you were married on December 31, you are married for the whole year, even if you divorced on January 1 of the next year.

Head of household status has a higher threshold than single status and is available if you paid more than half the household expenses and lived with a may have access to dependent for more than half the year. Married filing separately has the lowest threshold of all statuses and is rarely advantageous, but some people use it to protect one spouse's income from the other's tax liability.

What happens if you do not file when you are required to

If you are required to file and do not, the IRS may assess a failure-to-file penalty. The penalty is usually 5 percent of the unpaid tax for each month or part of a month the return is late, up to 25 percent. If you owe no tax, there is no penalty, but you will not receive any refund you are may have access to to. The IRS can hold a refund indefinitely if you never file.

If you filed late but owe tax, the IRS will contact you. You can file a late return at any time, and the penalty may be reduced if you have a reasonable cause. If you are owed a refund, there is no penalty for filing late, but you should file within three years to claim it — after three years, the IRS keeps the money.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to file if I only received Social Security?

Not usually. Social Security benefits are generally not counted as gross income for filing purposes. However, if you had other income above the threshold, or if you had significant interest or dividend income, you may be required to file. Some of your Social Security may be taxable if your combined income (adjusted gross income plus half your Social Security) exceeds certain limits.

What if I made less than $14,600 but had taxes withheld from my paycheck?

You should file to get your refund. Filing is optional, but you will not receive the money your employer withheld unless you submit a return. There is no penalty for filing when you are not required to, and the refund is yours to claim.

Do I have to file if I am claimed as a dependent on my parents' return?

You may still be required to file based on your own income. A dependent must file if they earned $14,600 or more from a job, or $1,250 or more from interest and dividends. Your parents can claim you as a dependent and you can file your own return at the same time — these are separate requirements.

What counts as gross income for the filing threshold?

Gross income includes wages, salaries, tips, interest, dividends, capital gains, rental income, self-employment income, and certain other sources. It does not include gifts, inherited money, loans, or money you borrowed. If you are unsure whether something counts, the IRS instructions for Form 1040 list what to include.

Can I file even if I am not required to?

Yes. Filing is always optional if your income is below the threshold, but you may benefit from filing anyway. You might receive a refund, claim a tax credit you are may have access to to, or establish a record of income for a loan process. There is no downside to filing when not required.