Do Teen Minors Need to File Tax Returns in Washington State? 17-Year-Old with W-2 under $10k
Title: Do Teen Minors Need to File Tax Returns in Washington State? 17-Year-Old with W-2 under $10k 1 Hello everyone, Looking for some guidance on my son's tax situation. My 17-year-old started his first job last summer at a local coffee shop in Washington state. He made around $8,700 total for the year, and his employer just sent him a W-2 form in the mail. I noticed that they didn't withhold any federal taxes from his paychecks throughout the year. Now I'm confused about whether he needs to file a tax return or not. From what I've read online, teens who earn less than $14,000 annually don't need to file with the IRS? But then some websites suggest filing anyway, though I'm not sure what the advantage would be. Any advice from those who've dealt with teen taxes in WA state would be super helpful! Should he file or not? And if filing is recommended, what's the benefit? Thanks in advance!
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Natalia Stone
8 Your son likely doesn't have a filing requirement, but filing might still be beneficial. For dependents with only earned income (like W-2 wages), the filing threshold is $12,950 for 2024 (standard deduction amount). Since your son earned $8,700, he's under this threshold and technically doesn't have to file a federal return. However, there are good reasons to file anyway. If any federal taxes were withheld (which you mentioned weren't in this case), filing would be the only way to get a refund. Filing also creates a tax record that can be helpful for things like financial aid applications for college. It's also good practice for your son to learn about taxes. For Washington state specifically, since there's no state income tax, you only need to worry about the federal return.
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Natalia Stone
•12 Thanks for the info! I'm in a similar situation with my daughter who just turned 16. She made about $7,800 last year. If she doesn't file, would this cause any issues down the road? Also, if we do file, can I still claim her as a dependent on my taxes?
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Natalia Stone
•8 You can absolutely still claim her as a dependent on your taxes. The child filing their own return doesn't change your ability to claim them as long as they meet the dependency tests (which include age, relationship, residency, and support requirements). As for potential issues, there are generally no penalties for not filing when you aren't required to file. However, filing creates a paper trail that can be helpful for various financial matters in the future. It also starts the statute of limitations clock for that tax year, which is generally a good thing.
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Natalia Stone
15 After struggling with my teen's first tax situation last year, I discovered this awesome AI tax assistant at https://taxr.ai that literally saved me hours of research. My son had a similar situation - part-time job, W-2, no withholding. The tool analyzed his W-2 and immediately confirmed he didn't have a filing requirement, but then explained exactly why filing anyway would benefit him with his college financial aid applications. It even showed how to report his income properly so it wouldn't affect my ability to claim him as a dependent. What I really liked was how it explained everything in plain English instead of tax jargon, and it was way more specific to our situation than the general advice I found online.
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Natalia Stone
•7 How does this actually work? Do you just upload the W-2 and it tells you what to do? My twins both started working this year and I'm totally lost on how to handle their taxes.
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Natalia Stone
•11 I'm skeptical about using AI for tax advice. How accurate is it for teenager situations specifically? Does it consider state requirements too, or just federal?
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Natalia Stone
•15 You just upload a photo of the tax documents and it does the analysis for you. It's super simple - I just took a picture of my son's W-2 with my phone and uploaded it. The system identified all the important fields and explained what each meant for his tax situation. For state requirements, it definitely covers that too. In the case of Washington state, it specifically mentioned there's no state income tax filing to worry about, but for my niece in Oregon, it gave different guidance about her state filing requirements. It's pretty comprehensive about considering both federal and state rules.
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Natalia Stone
11 Just wanted to update on my experience. I was skeptical about the AI tax tool mentioned above, but after trying https://taxr.ai with my daughter's W-2, I'm actually impressed. It confirmed she's below the filing threshold but recommended filing anyway because she had a small amount of federal tax withheld that she could get refunded. The explanation was really clear about the $12,950 standard deduction for dependents with only earned income. It also explained how this works with the "kiddie tax" rules (which don't apply in her case since she only had earned income, not investment income). Definitely saved me from going down unnecessary research rabbit holes.
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Natalia Stone
19 If you're having trouble reaching the IRS to ask questions about dependent filing requirements, try https://claimyr.com - they helped me get through to an actual IRS agent in less than 15 minutes. I had spent DAYS trying to get through on my own about my son's tax situation. I was in the same boat - 17-year-old with a part-time job, no tax withholding, and I couldn't figure out if we should file or not. The IRS agent I spoke with explained everything clearly and confirmed that while filing wasn't required, it would establish his work history which could help with Social Security later. You can see how the service works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c After trying to call the IRS myself and getting nowhere, this service was seriously a lifesaver during tax season.
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Natalia Stone
•3 Wait, you have to PAY someone to help you call the IRS? That sounds like a scam. Why can't you just call them directly?
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Natalia Stone
•5 I've tried calling the IRS multiple times about my kid's tax situation and always get disconnected after waiting forever. How exactly does this service work? Do they just keep calling until they get through?
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Natalia Stone
•19 It's definitely not a scam - it's just a service that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. Have you tried calling the IRS directly lately? They're insanely understaffed and often have wait times of 2+ hours if you can even get in the queue before they cut you off. The service basically stays on hold in your place, and when they finally reach an agent, they call you and connect you directly to that agent. It's like having someone wait in a long line for you. I was skeptical too until I realized how much time I was wasting trying to get through myself.
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Natalia Stone
3 I have to admit I was wrong about the Claimyr service. After my third attempt trying to reach the IRS about my daughter's tax situation (kept getting disconnected after 45+ minutes of waiting), I decided to try it. They got me through to an IRS representative in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed that my daughter doesn't need to file with her $9,200 earnings, but recommended filing anyway to start her official work history. They also explained that since she had some federal tax withheld (about $78), filing would get that money refunded to her. Definitely worth it just for the time saved and getting definitive answers directly from the IRS instead of guessing based on internet research.
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Natalia Stone
22 I'm a high school economics teacher and I actually encourage all my students with jobs to file returns even when not required. It teaches them about the tax system early, gets them comfortable with the process, and establishes their working record. For a 17-year-old in WA with less than $10k, the benefit of filing even though it's not required is primarily educational. Let them take ownership of the process (with your guidance). The free tax software options make it super simple - usually just entering the W-2 info and answering a few questions.
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Natalia Stone
•17 Would you recommend parents help them file or let them try to figure it out themselves? My son is pretty independent but I'm worried he might make mistakes.
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Natalia Stone
•22 I recommend a collaborative approach. Sit with them the first time, explain the concepts, but let them drive the process by entering information and reading through the questions. Most free tax software is very user-friendly and perfect for simple returns. For the first filing experience, I tell parents to treat it like teaching them to drive - be present and ready to provide guidance, but let them have the wheel. Review everything before submission, of course. What's great is that with such a simple return (just one W-2 and no deductions), there's very little room for serious mistakes.
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Natalia Stone
14 Quick question - if a teen files their own return, does that social security number get "used up" for the year so parents can't claim them as dependents? My neighbor told me this and now I'm worried about having my son file.
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Natalia Stone
•8 That's completely incorrect information from your neighbor. Your son filing his own tax return has absolutely no impact on your ability to claim him as a dependent on your return. As long as your son meets the tests for being your qualifying child (age, relationship, residency, and support), you can claim him regardless of whether he files his own return. The only limitation would be if he provides more than half of his own support for the year, which is unlikely with $8,700 in earnings if he's living at home with you covering major expenses.
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