Do I need to file taxes for short-term jobs where I earned very little money?

What about state taxes? Do the same thresholds apply or do some states require you to file even with lower income amounts?

State filing requirements vary by state. Tennessee doesn't have income tax on wages (only on investment income), so you don't need to worry about filing there. Arizona does have income tax, but they also have minimum filing thresholds. For Arizona, single filers generally don't need to file unless their gross income exceeds $12,950, so you'd be below that threshold based on what you've shared. If you worked in different states that do have income taxes, it's worth checking each state's specific requirements, but with such small amounts of income, you're likely below all state filing thresholds as well.

Does it work for people who have regular jobs too but just aren't sure about some specific deductions? I always get confused about what I can write off.

How does this work if you don't have documents? Like if some of these places didn't send any W-2s for tiny amounts? I worked someplace for literally 2 days and never got anything from them.

It absolutely works for regular jobs too! You can upload W-2s, and it'll analyze your situation for potential deductions you might miss. It's especially helpful if you're on the fence about itemizing vs taking the standard deduction. For jobs that didn't send documentation, the tool helps with that too. You can enter information manually about income sources that didn't provide paperwork. Even if you worked somewhere briefly and didn't get a W-2 (which technically they should provide if you earned anything), you can still input those details and the system will tell you if it impacts your filing requirements.

How does this service actually work? I'm confused because I thought it was impossible to get through to the IRS without waiting for hours.

Sounds like a scam. There's no way to "skip the line" with a government agency. They probably just connect you to some random person pretending to be the IRS.

It's not some magic skip-the-line service - it actually uses technology to navigate the IRS phone tree and wait on hold for you. Once they get an agent, they call you and connect you directly to that live IRS person. So you're definitely talking to a real IRS agent, not some random person. The reason it seems impossible to get through is because the IRS phone system is overwhelmed and disconnects most callers. This service basically keeps redialing and navigating the system until it gets through, then brings you into the call. I was skeptical too until I used it and was talking to an actual IRS employee who could access my tax records.

Thanks for mentioning this! I didn't even think about that. I'll have to look at the paperwork I got and see if anything was withheld. Would I get all of that back if I file?

Yes, if your income is below the filing threshold and you had federal income tax withheld (box 2 on your W-2), you would get that money back when you file. However, I need to correct myself about Social Security and Medicare taxes (boxes 4 and 6) - those generally aren't refundable even if you're below the filing threshold. The employer is required to withhold those regardless of how much you make. So you won't get those specific taxes back, but any federal income tax would be refunded.

I made like $200 from DoorDash last year and didn't file anything. Should I be worried?