Question

Thursday, March 19--Should they file a tax return?


I need help with personal finance and its Due Tomorrow!
the directions-

Please open the Google slides and the Google Doc worksheet about who should file a tax return. The scenarios are on the Google Slides and you will be answering the questions on the Google Doc. You can use the link to the IRS website to learn about dependents and you can read through the PDF about who needs to file when you are determining if each person needs to file.
I have pictures/screenshots of the questions.

Answer 1

I can do this — please upload the screenshots/pictures of the scenarios (or paste the text of each scenario). Also tell me which tax year the assignment is about (for example “tax year 2023” — the rules and dollar thresholds change year to year).

While I wait for the images, here’s a short guide I’ll use to decide for each scenario so you’ll know my process:

1. Identify filing status and age (single, married filing jointly, head of household, 65+ or blind).
2. Identify the person’s kinds of income:
- Earned income (wages, salary, tips, business income from self-employment),
- Unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gains),
- Net earnings from self-employment.
3. Apply the “do I need to file?” rules for the tax year in question:
- If gross income is at or above the IRS standard-filing threshold for that filing status/age, they must file.
- Anyone with net self-employment earnings of $400 or more must file (to pay self-employment tax).
- If someone can be claimed as a dependent, there are special, lower thresholds: a dependent must file if their gross income is more than their standard deduction (for dependents the standard deduction is the greater of $1,250 or earned income + $400, up to the usual standard deduction), or if unearned income or self-employment income passes other thresholds. (I’ll compute these amounts for each dependent scenario.)
- Other reasons to file even if not required: to claim a refund of withheld federal income tax, to claim refundable credits (e.g., earned income tax credit, additional child tax credit), or to receive certain stimulus/advance credits.
4. If they do need to file, note the usual filing form (Form 1040; Schedule C & SE for self-employment).

Useful IRS pages I’ll reference if needed:
- “Do I need to file a tax return?” on IRS.gov
- Publication 501 (for filing requirements) or Publication 17 (general)
(If you want, I can paste exact links once you confirm the tax year.)

Next step: upload the screenshots (or paste each scenario). I’ll go through them one-by-one and give the answer (Yes/No — should they file?) plus a one-sentence explanation you can copy into your Google Doc.