You googled it. What was the source you found? Does it seem reliable? More reliable than a stranger here who will probably use google as well?
I bet it matters what your filing status is, and perhaps your age.
Reasons you might want to file anyway:
- If you had anything withheld, you'd need to file to get it back
- To get some tax credits that are not limited by taxes liability
- To carry forward or back any tax credits or capital gains losses
- If you need to file state taxes I'd guess you need to file federal as well
- To get an ACA subsidized health insurance policy, or maybe medicaid?
- Others?
Is Google my friend? This is what I found:
For 2018 - You don't have to file if your earned income and AGI are less than $15,310. Investment income must be $3,500 or less for the year.
Correct?
For 2018 (to be filed in 2019).
Source: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deducti...ncome-limits-maximum-credit-amounts-next-year
Starting to do research for an elderly family member.
Actually for folks over 65 the limit would be 13600 because the standard deduction increases if you are 65 or older.you are looking at the earned income tax credit limits.............nothing about filing your income tax return requirements there.
Since the single std deduction will be 12K in 2018 and there will be no exemption, it would make sense if the filing requirement on gross income were set at 12K,
consistent w/ past guidelines. If you gross income exceeds deduction/exemption (if existing) then taxable income > 0 and taxes potentially exist.
My mom is in assisted living home on a fixed retirement income. Technically she doesn't need to file a tax return, but I filed one anyway and she got $96 back. It cost me about $30 to file the return, so she pocketed around $65. That's not much, but it was enough to make it worth filing.
I assume that is her own money that was withheld? If so perhaps it is time to stop the w/h so you don't have to file?
Sometimes people don't have a choice about withholding.
just curious.....when might that be........I don't have any w/h so am ignorant about such things.............
Interesting. I do taxes for my in-laws. I always file the return even though they haven't owed any tax in years, and have no withholding of any kind. Yet I just looked at the IRS guidelines posted above and it appears they don't need to file at all. I use TurboTax Premier. I wonder why TurboTax never intervened and said, "Stop here, you don't need to file a return." ?
Perhaps they would be cutting their own sales by doing that.............and the IRS guidelines also include who should as well as who must file. Among those who should are those who withheld more than the tax but if TT weren't careful about the wording, some folks might not file and not get back the w/h.