Do I need to file taxes if I received a W-2 but only worked a short time?

Thanks for the quick response! My total income for the whole year was only about $175 from those two shifts, and they withheld around $12 in federal taxes. I don't have any other income sources at all. So based on what you're saying, I technically don't have to file since I'm way under that standard deduction amount, right? But I would get that $12 back if I did file?

You're absolutely right - with only $175 in income, you're well below the filing requirement threshold, so you're not legally required to file a return. But yes, the only way to get that $12 in withholding back is to file a return. It's a pretty simple return to do since you only have one W-2 with minimal income. Most tax software will let you file federal returns for free with such simple tax situations, and it only takes about 15-20 minutes. Think of it as getting paid $12 for 20 minutes of work!

Does it work with other tax forms too? I have a W-2 plus a 1099 from a side gig and I'm never sure what I need to do with those together.

I'm always skeptical about these tax tools. How accurate is it really? Like does it actually understand all the weird tax exceptions and stuff? I've been burned before by "simple" tax solutions.

It definitely works with multiple forms! I originally tried it with just my W-2, but then remembered I also had a small 1099-NEC from a freelance project. I uploaded both documents and it combined the information to give me a complete picture of my tax situation and filing requirements. As for accuracy, I was skeptical too at first! But it specifically identified that my situation fell under an exception where I wasn't required to file but should file anyway to get my withholding back. It even cited the specific IRS rules that applied to my situation. I verified this with the IRS website afterward and everything matched up perfectly.

Wait how does this even work? Does it just call the IRS for you? I don't understand how it gets through when regular calls don't.

Yeah right. Nothing gets through to the IRS. I've tried calling them like 50 times this month. If this actually worked everyone would be using it and the IRS would shut it down.

It essentially navigates the IRS phone tree for you and holds your place in line. When it's about to connect with an agent, it calls you and connects you directly to that agent. It uses their system to continuously redial and hold your place when most people would give up. I was super skeptical too! I had spent three days trying to get through on my own with no success. The longest I waited was 4.5 hours before hanging up in frustration. With Claimyr, I got a call back in about 15 minutes saying they had an agent on the line. It was honestly shocking how quick it was. I think it works because most people don't know about it yet, and it's using the same phone system but with technology that doesn't "give up" like humans do.

That's a good point! I am actually a student and my parents do claim me as a dependent. I don't have any unearned income though - just that tiny amount from the W-2. Does that change anything about whether I need to file?

Since you only have earned income (from your W-2) and no unearned income, the rules are more straightforward. As a dependent with only earned income, you're only required to file if your earned income exceeds $14,600 for 2025. With just $175 in earned income, you're still not required to file even as a dependent. However, as others mentioned, you should still file to get back that $12 in withholding. Being claimed as a dependent doesn't affect your ability to get a refund of taxes that were withheld from your paycheck.

I used IRS Free File last year for a similar situation (one W-2 with minimal income). It was actually pretty straightforward and took maybe 20 minutes total. Definitely less hassle than I expected and completely free for federal filing.

I second this! IRS Free File is definitely the way to go for simple situations like yours. Since you only have one W-2 with such a small amount, it'll be one of the easiest returns possible to complete. Most of the commercial tax sites will also let you file for free with income that low, but Free File cuts out the middleman entirely. Plus you don't have to worry about any upselling or "audit protection" nonsense they try to push on you.

This is such a relatable situation! I'm in college and worked at a retail store for exactly three shifts last summer before I realized the schedule wouldn't work with my classes. Got a W-2 for something like $140 and had the same exact question. Reading through everyone's responses here has been really helpful. I was procrastinating on dealing with it but you're all right - it's basically free money sitting there if they withheld anything. Plus it sounds way less complicated than I was making it out to be in my head. Thanks for asking the question I was too nervous to ask myself!

That's such a great point about the FAFSA! I hadn't even thought about that connection. I'm definitely applying for financial aid next year and you're totally right - it would be way easier to just have a filed return to reference rather than trying to explain why I didn't file when I have a W-2. Between getting the $12 back, the peace of mind, and making FAFSA easier, it really seems like a no-brainer to just file. Thanks for mentioning that - it's probably the most convincing argument I've heard so far for why I should bother with such a small return!

You can file your return completely independently! Being claimed as a dependent on your parents' return doesn't require any coordination on your end. Your return and their return are separate - you're just reporting your own income and getting back your own withholding. The only thing you need to make sure of is that you check the box indicating that someone else can claim you as a dependent (there's usually a checkbox for this on tax forms). This doesn't affect your refund at all, it just tells the IRS that you're not claiming your own personal exemption because your parents are claiming you. Your parents will continue to claim you as a dependent on their return just like they normally would, and it won't impact their taxes that you filed your own return. Lots of college students file returns while being claimed as dependents - it's totally normal and the IRS systems are set up to handle it automatically.

This is such valuable insight from someone who actually works in the field! I really appreciate the perspective about building confidence with the tax process early on. I've definitely been intimidated by the whole thing, but you're right that starting with something this simple makes a lot of sense. The point about the government holding our money interest-free really puts it in perspective too. Even though $12 isn't going to change my life, it's still MY money that I worked for (even if it was only two terrible shifts with that nightmare manager!). Thanks for the recommendation about IRS Free File - it sounds like that's definitely the route I'll go. And honestly, knowing that this is a super common situation makes me feel a lot less weird about the whole thing. I was worried I was the only person who quit a job after basically no time and then got confused about taxes!

This is exactly the encouragement I needed to hear! Your situation sounds so similar to mine - those few shifts were absolutely miserable and I felt kind of embarrassed about quitting so quickly. But you're totally right about that money being ours to keep. I love how you framed it as "why should the government get to keep it just because I didn't work there long enough?" That really puts it in perspective. We still earned that money during those awful shifts, regardless of how brief they were! I'm definitely going to use the IRS Free File program based on all the positive experiences people have shared here. It's reassuring to know that 20 minutes of work can get me my $12 back, plus set me up better for future financial stuff like FAFSA. Thanks for sharing your experience - it's really helpful to hear from someone who was in almost the identical situation!