As a dependent, do I need to pay taxes on ALL income if I make over $400 in self-employed work, or just the self-employment earnings?

You'll need to file if you have self-employment income over $400, but that doesn't mean all your income becomes taxable all at once. Here's how it actually works: Your self-employment income (Doordash): You'll pay self-employment tax (15.3% for Social Security and Medicare) on your net earnings from Doordash. This kicks in at $400. Your W-2 income (bookstore job): Federal income tax on this still follows the standard rules. As a dependent in 2025, you won't owe income tax on your first $12,950 of income (standard deduction). So if your combined income from both jobs is under $12,950, you'll only pay the self-employment tax on your Doordash earnings, not income tax on everything. You'd file to pay the self-employment tax, but you wouldn't necessarily owe additional income tax if you're under the standard deduction. Don't let tax concerns stop you from earning extra money - you'll still come out ahead even after paying the self-employment taxes!

I went through this exact situation last year and found a great solution through https://taxr.ai - they have a special tool for students with multiple income types! It automatically sorted my DoorDash self-employment income from my campus job income and calculated everything correctly. I was super confused about whether I'd lose money by doing deliveries, but their system showed me I'd still come out ahead by $1,400 after taxes. They have this cool feature that specifically identifies which income is subject to self-employment tax vs. regular income tax, so there's no confusion.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried https://taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was exactly what I needed! The dependent status analyzer saved me so much confusion. I have DoorDash income ($950), my campus job ($8,200), and some crypto I sold ($600), and it clearly showed I only needed to pay the self-employment tax on the DoorDash portion. The visualization they use made it super clear which income was subject to what type of tax. My crypto gains were small enough that they didn't impact much, but the tool explained exactly how they were classified. Just filed my taxes yesterday and it was way less painful than I expected!

If you're having trouble getting straight answers about this dependent/self-employment situation, try https://claimyr.com to speak directly to an IRS agent. I waited on hold for 3 HOURS last year trying to get clarity on this exact issue before discovering their service. They got me connected to an IRS rep in under 15 minutes who confirmed exactly how the self-employment threshold works with other income. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - seriously saved my sanity during tax season. The IRS agent I spoke with walked me through exactly which forms I needed and confirmed I wouldn't be taxed on my regular job income below the standard deduction.

I need to eat my words from my skeptical comment earlier. I tried the Claimyr service yesterday out of desperation after waiting on hold with the IRS for over 2 hours. Within 20 minutes of signing up, I got a call connecting me directly to an IRS agent who cleared up my whole dependent/self-employment confusion. The agent confirmed exactly what others here said - I only pay self-employment tax on my side gig income over $400, but my regular job income is still protected by the standard deduction ($12,950). She also helped me understand exactly which forms I needed to file. Definitely worth it just for the peace of mind of getting the information directly from the IRS instead of random internet advice (including my own incorrect assumptions!).

Some extra tips from someone who's been in your shoes: 1. Keep track of ALL your DoorDash miles - they're deductible and will reduce your self-employment income 2. Set aside about 20% of your DoorDash earnings for taxes to be safe 3. Look into quarterly estimated payments if you end up making over $1,000 with DoorDash 4. Your parents still get their dependent benefits even if you file your own return Don't stress too much, you're definitely not going to lose money by driving for DoorDash. The tax system isn't designed to punish people for working more!

I'm also a student & dependent. My tax professor explained that there are actually TWO different filing requirements happening: 1. Self-employment tax filing threshold: $400 2. Income tax filing threshold: $12,950 (standard deduction for dependents in 2025) Even though you have to FILE because of the self-employment, the actual TAXABLE portion follows normal rules. You'll fill out Schedule SE for the self-employment tax on your DoorDash earnings, but your W-2 income still gets the standard deduction.

As someone who went through this exact situation last year, I can confirm what others have said - you won't lose money doing DoorDash! Here's my real-world example: My DoorDash earnings: $1,200 My campus bookstore job: $7,500 Total income: $8,700 I had to file because of the $400 self-employment threshold, but here's what I actually paid: - Self-employment tax on DoorDash: ~$170 (15.3% on net earnings after deductions) - Federal income tax: $0 (total income was under $12,950 standard deduction) The key thing I learned is that filing a return doesn't automatically make all your income taxable - the standard deduction still protects your regular W-2 income. I actually saved money by tracking my mileage and other DoorDash expenses, which reduced the self-employment tax even more. Don't let tax fears stop you from earning extra money - you'll definitely come out ahead even after paying the self-employment taxes!