Do I Have to File a Tax Return?

Tax return filing is a responsibility that most adults need to address at some point. If your income is over a certain threshold, the IRS expects to see a tax return filed and the appropriate amount of tax paid in.

The requirement to file also depends on your filing status, age and the type of income earned. Each filing year, the criteria under each of these categories changes.

Filing Status

Your filing status is an election that you make each year on your tax return. You have some latitude when it comes to choosing a filing status, but you are limited to factors such as whether you are married or single, and if you have any dependent children.

Unmarried individuals can file as single, or they can choose to file as Head of Household, if qualified. Head of Household means you are unmarried, or considered unmarried, and you are the sole support for yourself and a qualifying person that lives with you in the household.

Married individuals can opt to file jointly together, in which case income and expenses are pooled. You can file joint even if your spouse had no income. You can also file separate from your spouse.

Once you have determined your filing status, you need to analyze the amount of income you have received from all payers.

These figures change slightly from year to year, but here is the breakdown for 2010 taxes:

'¢ Single individuals under 65 must file if gross income was at least $9,350

'¢ Single individuals 65 and over must file if gross income was at least $10,750

'¢ Married Filing Joint filers under 65 (both spouses) must file if gross income was at least $18,700

'¢ Married Filing Joint filers 65 and over (one spouse) must file if gross income was at least $19,800

'¢ Married Filing Joint filers 65 and older (both spouses) must file if gross income was at least $20,900

'¢ Married Filing Separate filers of any age must file if gross income was at least $3,650

'¢ Head of Household filers must file if gross income was at least $15,050 (under 65) or $16,150 (65 and older).

If you are considered someone's dependent (whether they choose to claim you or not), then you have a different set of dollar amounts to follow. See IRS Publication 17, specific to the year you are filing, for more information.

Self-employment

If you are self-employed, you must file a return if your gross income is at least as much as the filing requirement amount for your filing status and age, as shown above. Additionally, because the self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare) kicks in at the $400 threshold, you must file a return and pay any required self-employment tax if your earnings were at least $400.

Use Schedule SE along with your 1040 to report self-employment tax.

Even if you are not required to file, if you worked and had federal income tax withheld from your pay, you should file to make a claim for a refund of these withholdings.

Additionally, you may be eligible for certain credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit or the Making Work Pay Credit.

Visit IRS.gov for more information of this topic.

More from this Contributor:

Who is your dependent?

Do you qualify to file as Head of Household?

Tax filing requirements for retired taxpayers