Filing a tax return: When it’s required and when it’s worth it

Know if you owe—or if you’re off the hook.

Written byNancy Ashburn

Fact-checked byDavid Schepp

Blank tax form surrounded by tiny hurdles.

Do you need to file a tax return? Understand the rules and exceptions.

Filing taxes can feel like a hassle, but not everyone needs to file a return. If you started a new job or are recently retired or unemployed, your income may be low enough that you’re not required to submit a return. Still, filing may be worth it—if taxes were withheld from your paycheck, you might be owed a refund. You may also qualify for certain tax credits, but you can claim them only if you file a return.

Key Points

Filing a tax return is required if your income exceeds Internal Revenue Service (IRS) thresholds.
Other situations may also require you to file.
Filing voluntarily can help you claim tax credits or receive a refund.

When your income is high enough to require a tax return

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires most U.S. citizens or permanent residents who work in the U.S. to file a tax return. If you’re a single filer and your gross annual income (the amount earned before taxes and other deductions) was less than $14,600 in 2024 ($16,550, if you are 65 or older), filing a return isn’t necessary. For other filing statuses, the gross income amounts exempt from filing a return range from $21,900 to $32,300. (Watch out if you are married and filing separately—once you make $5 in income, you must file.)

Income thresholds for filing a tax return
Filing status	Age as of Dec. 31, 2024	Filing a tax return is required if your gross income is at least:
Single	Under 65	$14,600
Single	65 or older	$16,550
Head of household	Under 65	$21,900
Head of household	65 or older	$23,850
Married filing jointly	Under 65 (both spouses)	$29,200
Married filing jointly	65 or older (one spouse)	$30,750
Married filing jointly	65 or older (both spouses)	$32,300
Married filing separately	Any age	$5
Qualifying surviving spouse	Under 65	$29,200
Qualifying surviving spouse	65 or older	$30,750

Other situations that require you to file a tax return

Why the filing threshold is so low for couples filing separately

If you’re married but file your taxes separately, you must file a return even if you earn just $5. This unusually low threshold exists because the IRS limits tax benefits for couples who don’t file jointly, including education-related benefits and tax breaks for lower-income workers. Couples who file separately are also ineligible to take student loan interest deductions. Still, filing separately can make sense if:

One spouse has high medical expenses and qualifies to deduct costs exceeding 7.5% of their adjusted gross income (AGI).
You and your spouse need to keep your tax liabilities separate.
Your spouse owes past taxes and you want to protect your refund.

Before choosing to file separately, weigh the potential downsides against any benefits.

Even if you make less than the filing income thresholds, certain situations may require you to file a return with the IRS.

Self-employment—if your net earnings after business expenses were $400 or more.

HSA or MSA distributions—if you or your spouse (when filing jointly) had withdrawals from a health savings account (HSA), Archer medical savings account (MSA), or Medicare Advantage MSA.

Church wages—if you were paid $108.28 or more by a church or similar organization exempt from employer Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Health insurance marketplace—if you received a Form 1095-A for advance payments of health insurance marketplace tax credits.

“Clean vehicle” purchase—if you bought an electric, fuel cell, or plug-in hybrid vehicle and transferred the tax credit to the dealer at the time of sale.

Investment income—if you received a Form 1099-B for broker or barter proceeds that, when added to your gross income, puts you over the filing threshold.

U.S. citizens living abroad—if your income exceeds IRS thresholds, although certain exclusions or credits may reduce or eliminate what you owe.

Residents of Puerto Rico—U.S. income thresholds generally apply. The IRS has a tax guide for Puerto Rico residents and those with income from U.S. territories.

Does my child have to file a tax return?

If you claim a child or other dependent on your return, they must file only if their:

Unearned income (dividends, interest, unemployment, pensions, etc.) is more than $1,300
Earned income from a job (or a scholarship) is more than $14,600
Total income is more than $1,300, or unearned income plus $450 exceeds $1,300

Rules differ if your dependent is married, 65 or older, or blind.

If you owe certain taxes:

Alternative minimum tax
Additional tax on an individual retirement account (IRA) or other qualified retirement plan
Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax on tips or other wages, group-term life insurance, or HSAs not shown on your W-2
Household employment taxes
Recapture taxes (amounts owed to the government because of a special lower-interest mortgage)

Why filing a tax return could benefit you, even if it’s not required

Do you need to file a tax return for someone who has died?

If the person met the filing requirements at the time of death, their spouse, executor, or other legal representative must file a final tax return on their behalf. The income threshold is based on their age when they died.

If you had federal income tax withheld from your paychecks—or made estimated payments—and are owed a refund, you’ll need to file a return to get your money back, even if your income is lower than the threshold.

And if you qualify for refundable tax credits, filing a return could result in a refund beyond any taxes you paid.

Earned income credit (EITC): Provides refunds to low- and moderate-income earners who have children or meet other criteria. The IRS provides an EITC assistant that can help you determine if you qualify.
Additional child tax credit: A refundable portion of the child tax credit targeted toward low-income families that’s worth up to $1,700 for each qualifying child. Use IRS Form 8812 to see if you qualify.
American opportunity tax credit (AOTC): Applies to qualified education expenses during the first four years of higher education, up to $2,500 for each student. Even if you owe no taxes, you may still be eligible for a refund of up to $1,000.
Premium tax credit (PTC): Available if you purchased health insurance through the health insurance marketplace. The IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service website features an estimator to determine eligibility.

The bottom line

Not sure if you need to file a tax return? The IRS interactive tax assistant can help. When in doubt, it’s worth filing—or at least completing the form. You might discover you’re owed money.

If your adjusted gross income (AGI) is $84,000 or less, you can file for free using IRS Free File.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Nancy AshburnThis article was most recently revised and updated by David Schepp