Question

Do I need to file tax returns for my 17 and 16 year old children if they earned less than $1000 in 2024

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
March 17, 2025
1 reply
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Employee

MY DEPENDENT HAD A JOB

If your dependent has a W-2 for his after-school job, summer job, etc. you do not include the information on your own return. You can still claim your child as a dependent on your own return. He/she can file his own return for a refund of some of his withheld wages from boxes 2 or 17 (he won’t get back anything for Social Security or Medicare), but MUST indicate on it that he can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return. (Supervise this closely or prepare it for him!)

If your dependent’s earnings were over $400 and were reported on a 1099Misc or 1099NEC then he must file a return and pay self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare.

You might also want to use free software from the IRS Free File versions:

https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

T

TMG92

Unfortunately "it depends". See the below article for some common rules of thumb and guidance.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/family/at-what-income-does-a-minor-have-to-file-an-income-tax-return/L6HOdGp6i

If your child has earned income of less than $14,600, they are not necessarily required to file, but might want to try to recoup some of the federal taxes that may have been withheld.

If your child has unearned income (interest or dividends) of less than $1300, again, they do not have to file.

If your child has tips or self-employment income of more than $400, they need to file a return.