College student here - Do I need to file taxes with only $6,700 income this year?

Yes, you should definitely file your taxes! Even though you're under the filing requirement threshold (which is $12,950 for 2025 for single filers), you'll almost certainly get a refund of the federal income taxes that were withheld from your paychecks. When you work, your employer typically withholds taxes assuming you'll make that same amount all year. Since you only worked part-time and made $6,700, you're likely entitled to get most or all of those withholdings back. Plus, you might qualify for education tax credits like the American Opportunity Credit, which could give you up to $2,500 (and it's partially refundable even if you owe no taxes). The easiest way to file would be using free tax software. The IRS Free File program lets you file for free if your income is below $73,000. Services like FreeTaxUSA or Cash App Taxes (formerly Credit Karma Tax) are completely free for federal returns and very user-friendly for simple situations like yours.

I was in your exact same situation last year! I made about $7k from my campus job and wasn't going to file until I found https://taxr.ai which literally saved me so much hassle. It has this cool feature that scans your W-2 so you don't have to enter everything manually (which I definitely would have messed up lol). It walked me through everything step by step and I ended up getting back like $400 I didn't know I was entitled to. The system also explained what all the tax jargon meant in ways I could actually understand as a 19-year-old with zero tax knowledge. Plus it stored my info so this year should be even easier.

Just wanted to update! I checked out taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and wow, it was genuinely so easy. I was putting off doing my taxes because I was intimidated, but it literally took me 20 minutes. I just snapped a pic of my W-2 and it pulled all the info automatically. I ended up getting back $320 which is helping me pay for textbooks this semester! It also explained that I could claim the American Opportunity Credit for some of my education expenses that weren't covered by my scholarship. Super grateful for the recommendation - probably would have just skipped filing altogether and lost out on that money if I hadn't seen this thread!

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you do decide to file (which you absolutely should), make sure you check if you need to file state taxes too! I learned this the hard way last year when I only filed federal and then got a notice from my state saying I still needed to file with them. Also, if you're having trouble getting answers from the IRS website or need to call them about anything, try https://claimyr.com - they have a service that gets you through to an actual IRS agent instead of waiting on hold forever. I used their YouTube demo to see how it works first: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had to call the IRS about a missing W-2 from a summer job, and I was dreading being on hold for hours. Claimyr got me through to someone in less than 20 minutes.

I have to eat my words here. After my skeptical comment, I actually tried Claimyr because I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about a mistake on my return from last year. I'd already tried calling on my own four separate times and never got through. Not only did it work, but I had an IRS rep on the line in about 15 minutes when I'd previously waited over 2 hours before giving up. The agent was able to explain the error on my return and help me file an amendment. Seriously saved me from what was becoming a nightmare situation with a penalty notice. I'm genuinely surprised this isn't more widely known - would have saved me so much stress earlier in the year.

Just wanted to add one thing that surprised me when I was a student: check if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit! Even with a lower income around what you made, you might qualify depending on your age and if you're not being claimed as a dependent. Also don't forget about any textbooks or educational expenses - those can potentially get you credits too. I nearly missed out on hundreds of dollars in my sophomore year because I didn't know about these things.

Quick question about timing - I'm in the same boat (sophomore, made about $7k last year). Is there any benefit to filing early vs waiting until April? I've heard mixed things from friends.

If you're nervous about filing yourself, most colleges offer free tax help through the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program. Check your school's financial aid office or accounting department. The volunteers are usually accounting students supervised by professors or tax professionals, and they're certified by the IRS. I used it last year and they were super helpful and explained everything as they went along. Plus it's completely free!