Who Must File A Tax Return?
Minimum Income Requirements
The minimum income required to file a tax return has increased for the 2008
and 2009 tax seasons. If you earned below the minimum income for your filing status,
you may not need to file a tax return. Listed below are the minimum income levels
for the varying filing statuses.
|
Filing Status
|
Age
|
Minimum Income Requirement
|
|
Single
|
Under 65
|
$8,950
|
|
65 or older
|
$10,300
|
|
Head of Household
|
Under 65
|
$11,500
|
|
65 or older
|
$12,850
|
|
Married, Filing Jointly
|
Under 65 (both spouses)
|
$17,900
|
|
65 or older (one spouse)
|
$18,950
|
|
65 or older (both spouses)
|
$20,000
|
|
Married, Filing Separately
|
Any Age
|
$3,500
|
|
Qualifying Widow(er) with Dependent Children
|
Under 65
|
$14,400
|
|
65 or older
|
$15,450
|
Detailed information on filing information
and status
What is IRS Taxable Income and What is Not?
Gross income usually includes all payments you receive for services or property
you own. The general categories include:
- Wages
- Salaries
- Fees
- Commissions
- Tips
- Fringe
Benefits
- Stock Options
This list is general; there are many other forms of taxable income. Below is a broad
guide to help the reader distinguish between taxable and nontaxable income.
Tips (e.g. restaurant, babysitting, valet services)
All tips that you receive on the job, whether the majority of your income is derived
from tips or wages, is considered income and is subject to federal income tax. Non-cash
tips in the form of gifts, tickets to sporting events, or other items of value,
are subject to federal income tax.
You must report cash, check, or credit card tips to your employer so they can remove
Social Security, Medicare, retirement tax, or any other applicable taxes from your
total tips.
If you receive $20 or more in tip income in a single calendar month, you must report
that income to your employer and they must withhold Social Security and Medicare
tax. If you do not make more than $20 in tips in a single month, you do not have
to report the income to your employer but you must report the income on your federal
tax return.
Information about reporting tip income
Alimony
If you receive alimony from your spouse or former spouse, you must report the alimony
as income in the year that you receive it.
Alimony payments that you pay during the tax year are only tax deductible if they
are made under an official divorce or separation instruments and all qualifications
are met. Payments that are not made under an official decree or agreement (e.g.
a verbal consensus between two parents) are not tax deductible.
If you receive child support, that income is not taxable. If you pay child support,
that payment is not tax deductible.
More information about divorced and separated Individuals
Gambling
Winnings from gambling are considered income and subject to federal income tax.
You have to report gambling winnings on your tax return. You must include all cash
winnings and the fair market value of non-cash winnings as taxable income.
You may deduct gambling losses if you itemize your deductions but gambling losses
may not be more than gambling income reported on your return. In order to make deductions
for your losses however you must produce a verifiable statement from the institution
with whom the losses were incurred.
Moving Expenses
Moving Expenses can be tax deductible if you move for business and meet certain
criteria. If you personally finance your moving expenses, the moving arrangement
must meet two requirements to qualify as tax deductible: (1) Your new place of business
must be at least 50 miles from your old home and (2) you must work 39 weeks out
of the first 12 months right after you move to your new location.
If your employer pays for the cost of you to relocate, and the moving expenses would
have been deductible if you had paid them yourself, you do not have to include the
paid moving expenses as taxable income. If your employer pays your moving expenses,
but you do not meet the criteria for tax deduction, i.e. your new place of employment
is not at least 50 miles from your old home then you must include the employer financed
move as gross income.
For example, if Joe gets a new job that is 35 miles away and his employer moves
him 5 miles away from his new job, Joe must include the moving expenses paid by
his employer as taxable income. If Joe’s new job is 1000 miles away and his
new employer moves him 980 miles closer to his new job, the moving expenses paid
by his company do not have to be included in Joe’s gross taxable income.
Additional information about moving expenses
Cancelled Debt
As a general rule, debt that is cancelled by an official lender, as something other
than a gift, must be included in your taxable income. There are varying circumstances
in which the cancelled debt may be exempted or excluded from the calculation of
gross income.
Information about canceled debts, foreclosures, repossessions, and abandonments
Unemployment Compensation
Unemployment income must be included on your federal and state income taxes. Unemployment
income includes all cash and non-cash remuneration received from the unemployment
laws of the United States or of a particular state. This also includes disability
benefits. You should receive a 1099 which will display the amount you were paid.
Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits
Persons who only receive Social Security or equivalent railroad retirement benefits
will probably not have to file a tax return. If you receive other income, however,
you will have to file a tax return if your AIG is more than the base amount of your
filing status.
Additional information about Social Security and equivalent retirement benefits
Pensions and Annuities
Pensions and annuities are either fully taxable or partially taxable depending on
your contributions made to the plans. Your pension or annuity is fully taxable
if all of the contributions were made by your employer prior to including it in
your taxable wages or salary. Returns on payments made with after tax dollars are
partially taxable. In that case you will not be charged tax on the cost of the plan
or investment but only on the non-taxed interest accrued in the pension or annuity.
More information about pension and annuity income
Bartering Income
When you exchange goods or services for other goods or services, e.g. you provide
tax help for plumbing services, you must include those goods or services as taxable
income. The value of the goods and services exchanged are determined by the fair
market value of exchange between unrelated parties.
For a list of income that the IRS cannot touch visit
Tax Free Income.
There are many other forms of income and adjustments to your gross income that are
not included in this list. Some examples include, interest received, dividends,
business income from a pass-through employer, capital gains and losses, lump sum
distributions, renting property, earnings for clergy, 401 (k) plans, passive activities,
stock options, traders in securities, exchange of policyholder interest for Stock,
and many more.
Additional information about taxable and nontaxable income
Exemptions
Additional information about tax exemptions
Standard Deduction
More information about the standard
deduction
Itemized Deductions
Some itemized deductions will be limited if your adjusted gross income is greater
than $159,950 if you are married filing jointly, and $79,975 if you are married
filing separately.
More information about itemized deductions