Find out if you are required to file a 2011 federal tax return

All those with incomes above a certain level have to file an income tax return, either a Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ.

Every year the numbers change, as they are adjusted for inflation. For 2011 taxes, the income thresholds that determine whether or not you need to file are as follows:

Filing Status	Age	Income Threshold
Single	under 65 65 or older	$9,500 $10,950
Married Filing Jointly	under 65 (both spouses) 65 or older (one spouse) 65 or older (both spouses)	$19,000 $20,150 $21,300
Married Filing Separately	any age	$3,700
Head of Household	under 65 65 or older	$12,200 $13,650
Qualifying Widow(er) with Dependent Child	under 65 65 or older	$15,300 $16,450

If your income is below the threshold listed in the right-hand column, you are not legally obligated to file a return.

But in certain situations it may be financially beneficial for you to file even if you don’t have to because you could get a refund.

The first situation in which you probably want to file no matter how little money you made is if federal income tax was withheld from your paychecks. Filing will most likely get you some of this money back.

The American Opportunity Credit could give eligible students a tax credit up to $2,500.

For some low-income taxpayers, these credits could actually result in a refund of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Dependents may be required to file a tax return too. A dependent has to file a return if their

unearned income was more than $950,
earned income was more than $5,800, or
gross income was more than the larger of $950, or their earned income (up to $5,500) plus $300

Slightly different eligibility rules apply for dependents who are married as well as dependents who are 65 or older or blind.

If it is at all unclear whether or not you have to file, consult the 1040 Instructions, specifically Charts A, B, and C. They should be able to determine who exactly is required to file. But remember: you should always check to see if you are due a refund first.

If it turns out you do need to file, head over to the PriorTax homepage and get started on your return today.

Photo via 401(K) 2012 on Flickr.

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Tax Tips and Tricks

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 at 9:33 pm and is filed under Tax Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Who Has to File IRS Form 1040?”

Comments(4)

ron

Feb 9, 2013

I only made a small amount of earned income $5000.00 my unemployment was $12000.00 when filing taxes can I use both as earned income to get the earned income tax credit after figuring out my adjusted gross income.

Reply
- admin
  
  Feb 11, 2013
  
  Hi Ron,
  
  Unemployment benefits do not count as earned income. You can find more info here – http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/What-is-Earned-Income%3F
  
  Reply
Ruby P Hood

Aug 21, 2017

I am applying for a Loan with Freedom Mortgage And I have not filled a Tax return since my husband died in 1999 . I have fully depended on SS for my living I do pay my Medicare insurance it is taking out of my check each month.How do I get some thing from IRS to show I have not filled taxes.

Reply
- admin
  
  Aug 22, 2017
  
  You can request an Verification of Non‐Filing Letter from the IRS. This can be done online at or by phone or mail.
  
  Reply