How much should I expect for tax refund with low income and first-time filing?

Hey everyone, I'm really confused about tax filing. I'm 19 and just received my work permit and SSN back in November (2024). Only worked for about 2 weeks in December and made roughly $2,200 total. My sister keeps telling me I still need to file taxes even with such little income. I'm getting conflicting advice from different people - some say I'd only get back like $150 while others are saying I could get between $1.5k-$4k because my yearly income was so minimal. This is my first time dealing with taxes so I have no clue what to expect. Can anyone help me estimate how much I might get back? Thanks so much!

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20 comments

Anastasia Sokolov

•8M

You definitely need to file taxes even with that small amount of income. The good news is that you'll likely get back most or all of what was withheld from your paychecks since your annual income is so low. Look at your pay stubs or W-2 form to see exactly how much federal tax was withheld - that's generally what you'll get back. With only $2,200 in income, you're well below the standard deduction ($13,850 for single filers in 2024), which means you shouldn't owe any federal income tax. The people saying you might get $1.5k-$4k are probably thinking about refundable tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, but you would need to meet specific requirements for those. With your situation, expect to get back whatever federal taxes were withheld from your checks, which is probably closer to the $150 range than thousands.

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Anastasia Sokolov

•8M

The Recovery Rebate Credit was related to stimulus payments during the COVID pandemic, and that's no longer available for current tax years. Those who get large refunds with small incomes typically qualify for specific credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, or American Opportunity Credit for education expenses. With just $2,200 in income and no children or qualifying education expenses, the refund will most likely just be whatever federal tax was withheld from the paychecks.

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Zara Ahmed

•8M

I was in almost the exact same situation last year! After struggling with taxes and getting really confused with all the paperwork, I tried using https://taxr.ai and it was super helpful. You just upload your documents and it explains everything in simple terms. I had only worked for about 3 weeks total and made less than $3k, but I was worried I'd miss something important. The tool analyzed my W-2 and showed me exactly what I'd get back based on my actual withholding. No false hopes about thousands in refunds, just realistic expectations.

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Zara Ahmed

•8M

It definitely works for basic situations - actually might be even better for beginners since it explains everything in plain English. It analyzes your documents and tells you exactly what you qualify for based on your specific information. Totally get the concern about security. They use bank-level encryption and don't store your actual documents after analysis. But yes, you can absolutely use the free filing options too - I just found this easier to understand what I was actually looking at before I submitted anything.

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StarStrider

•8M

Following up on my question about taxr.ai - I ended up trying it with my super simple return (first time filing, only one W-2). It was actually pretty helpful! Showed me that I was getting back exactly what was withheld ($132) and explained why I didn't qualify for the bigger credits some of my friends get. Saved me from having unrealistic expectations and the walkthrough made the actual filing process way less intimidating. Definitely worth checking out if you're new to taxes like me.

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Nia Thompson

•8M

If you're trying to contact the IRS to ask questions about your refund, good luck getting through! I spent HOURS trying to reach someone when I had a similar first-time filing situation. Finally discovered https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in less than 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent was able to tell me exactly what I needed to do as a first-time filer and confirmed I'd only get back what was withheld (about $180 in my case). They also explained why those big refunds weren't happening for me and what I'd need to qualify for them in the future. Saved me tons of time and stress!

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Nia Thompson

•8M

They use a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line, then calls you when they reach an agent. They don't actually talk to the IRS for you - they just handle the waiting part. I was skeptical too! But doing it myself meant calling, waiting 2+ hours, getting disconnected, and repeating. It's not about the calling itself - it's about not wasting half your day on hold. And honestly, the advice I got directly from the IRS agent about my first-time filing situation was worth it since I was getting so much conflicting information from friends and family.

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Luca Esposito

•8M

Ok I need to apologize to @22 - I was totally wrong about Claimyr. After getting disconnected THREE TIMES trying to reach the IRS myself about my missing W-2 (first job ever, employer messed up), I gave in and tried it. Connected to an actual IRS person in like 15 minutes! They helped me figure out how to file without my W-2 using my final paystub. And yeah, with my income level ($2,800 for the year), I'm only getting back what was withheld - about $170. All those stories about thousand-dollar refunds don't apply to simple situations like ours without kids or other special circumstances.

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Aisha Abdullah

•8M

Yes, that $143 is most likely what you'll get back from federal taxes. That's the money that was taken out of your paychecks for federal income tax. As for tax credits, the main one people are probably thinking of is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). For 2024, you'd need to be at least 25 years old to qualify without children (with some exceptions), so at 19 you wouldn't be eligible yet. Other major credits like the Child Tax Credit require having dependents, and education credits require having qualifying education expenses. There's no magic credit that gives first-time filers thousands of dollars unfortunately.

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Ethan Taylor

•5M

As someone who went through this exact situation last year, I can confirm what others are saying - you'll likely get back whatever federal tax was withheld from your paychecks (that $143 from Box 2 on your W-2). The key thing to remember is that with only $2,200 in income, you're way below the standard deduction threshold, so you won't owe any federal income tax. Those stories about people getting huge refunds with low income usually involve specific circumstances like having children (Child Tax Credit), being over 25 (EITC), or having education expenses. Don't let anyone pressure you into paying for expensive tax prep services either - with such a straightforward situation, you can easily use one of the free filing options. Your return will be super simple: just report your W-2 income and claim the standard deduction. The whole process should take maybe 30 minutes tops. Also, make sure to file even though your refund is small - you're required to file since you had income, and you want to get that money back that was withheld from your paychecks!

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