Should I File a Tax Return After Working Only 6 Months with $10,000 Income?
So I started a job in January 2024 but had to quit after only 6 months due to a family emergency that took me out of state until recently. I made roughly $10,000 during that time. I'm trying to figure out if I should even bother filing my taxes for the 2024 tax year. I'm single, no kids, under 65, and have no dependents. I've been reading about the standard deduction online and from what I understand, since I earned less than the standard deduction amount, I might not even need to file taxes? But then I'm confused about whether I'd miss out on getting any refund for the taxes that were withheld from my paychecks. Would really appreciate if someone could clarify whether I should file or not, and if filing would get me any money back! Thanks for any help you all can provide!
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Saleem Vaziri
You should absolutely file a tax return! The standard deduction for 2024 is $13,850 for single filers, and since you earned less than that, you won't owe any federal income tax. But here's the important part - if you had any federal taxes withheld from your paychecks during those 6 months, you can only get that money back by filing a return. Check your last pay stub or W-2 when you receive it to see how much federal tax was withheld. That amount is likely what you'll get back as a refund. Many employers automatically withhold taxes from paychecks, assuming you'll work the full year and earn more than the standard deduction. Even if you're not required to file because your income is below the filing threshold, it's almost always beneficial to file when you've had taxes withheld. The filing process should be pretty straightforward with your situation.
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Kayla Morgan
•Thanks for this explanation! I'm in a similar situation but I worked for 8 months and made about $12,000. Does this mean I'm basically guaranteed a refund too? Also, does state tax work the same way or is that completely different?
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Saleem Vaziri
•You're also likely to get a refund if you had federal taxes withheld from your paychecks. Since your income is still below the standard deduction of $13,850, you shouldn't owe any federal income tax, so anything withheld would come back to you. State taxes work on a similar principle, but each state has different rules, deductions, and tax rates. Most states have lower income thresholds for filing than the federal government. I'd recommend filing both federal and state returns to make sure you get back any overpaid taxes at both levels.
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James Maki
I was in a weirdly similar situation last year and found myself spending hours trying to decipher tax forms. After getting frustrated with the confusing IRS instructions, I tried https://taxr.ai and it honestly saved me so much time. It analyzed my W-2 and automatically determined I was eligible for a refund even though my income was below the standard deduction - exactly like your situation. The tool explained that while I wasn't required to file with my low income, I had overpaid through withholdings that I deserved to get back. It even caught a tax credit I qualified for that I had no idea about, which boosted my refund.
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Jasmine Hancock
•How does that work exactly? Does it just read your documents or does it like actually file for you? I'm always suspicious of tax websites because they usually have hidden fees or try to upsell you halfway through.
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Cole Roush
•I've heard about AI tax assistants but never tried one. How accurately does it handle unusual situations? Like I worked two jobs last year but one was only for a month, and I'm wondering if these tools can handle that complexity without making mistakes.
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James Maki
•It doesn't file for you - it analyzes your tax documents (like W-2s, 1099s, etc.) and gives you personalized guidance. You can take a picture of your documents, and it extracts all the important information and explains what each part means in plain English. No hidden fees - I used the free tier which worked fine for my simple situation. These AI tools are actually really good with multiple jobs since they process each form separately. It'll analyze both W-2s and show you exactly what was withheld from each job, then calculate your total income and potential refund. I was surprised how it caught things I would've missed on my own.
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Cole Roush
Update: I actually tried taxr.ai after posting my question here and wow, it was super helpful! I uploaded pictures of my W-2s from both jobs (including the short-term one), and it immediately showed me that I had $847 in federal withholding that I could get back by filing. The explanation was so clear - it showed exactly why I was getting money back despite being below the filing requirement threshold. It even highlighted a section on my W-2 where my employer had incorrectly coded something, and explained what that might mean for my return. Now I feel way more confident about filing instead of skipping it. Would definitely recommend if you're confused about whether to file with less than a full year's income!
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Scarlett Forster
If you're having trouble getting answers about your tax situation from the IRS directly, you might want to check out https://claimyr.com - I found it after spending DAYS trying to get through to an actual human at the IRS about a similar part-year employment question. The service basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you back when an agent is available. I was skeptical at first, but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I needed specific guidance about filing with partial year income, which wasn't clear from the generic IRS website info. Got connected to an agent within 2 hours (after trying for literally 3 days on my own), and they confirmed I should definitely file to get my withholdings back. The agent even walked me through exactly which forms I needed.
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Arnav Bengali
•Wait, you're saying there's actually a way to talk to a real person at the IRS without spending your whole day on hold? How does this even work? I thought the IRS phone system was deliberately designed to make you give up lol.
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Sayid Hassan
•This sounds like a scam. Why would I pay a third party just to talk to the IRS? And how would they have any special access that regular people don't? The IRS is equally terrible for everyone. Sounds like you're selling something...
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Scarlett Forster
•It basically uses an automated system to wait on hold for you. You enter your phone number, and when their system reaches a human IRS agent, it calls you and connects you. It's like having someone wait in a physical line for you. Not selling anything, just sharing what worked after my own frustration. I understand the skepticism - I felt the same way! But consider it this way: the IRS wait times are 2+ hours during tax season, and often they disconnect you after waiting. This service just eliminates that wasted time. The IRS doesn't give them special access - they're just solving the hold time problem that the IRS created.
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Sayid Hassan
I need to admit I was totally wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a likely scam, I was desperate last week with a question about my partial-year income that no one could answer clearly. Decided I had nothing to lose and tried it. The service actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back in about 90 minutes, and suddenly I was talking to an actual IRS representative who answered my specific questions. She confirmed I should absolutely file a return to get my withholdings back, even with just 5 months of work income. Saved me hours of frustration and probably hundreds in refund money I might have left on the table. For anyone in a similar situation with partial year employment, definitely file if you had ANY tax withheld!
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Rachel Tao
You might also qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) depending on your exact income amount and age. It's a refundable credit meaning you can get money even if you don't owe any taxes. For tax year 2024, a single person with no kids can qualify for the EITC with income up to about $17,640. A lot of people who work part of the year miss out on this because they think they don't need to file. Worth checking if you qualify!
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Lindsey Fry
•I had no idea about the Earned Income Tax Credit! How do I check if I qualify? Does my age matter for this? I'm 27 if that helps.
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Rachel Tao
•You can use the EITC Assistant tool on the IRS website to check if you qualify. Just search "IRS EITC Assistant" and answer the questions it asks. For 2024, you generally need to be at least 25 and under 65 to claim EITC without children, so at 27 you meet that requirement. Your earned income of $10,000 should fall within the qualifying range for a single person with no children. The maximum credit for your situation would be around $600, which you'd get as part of your refund. Just make sure you claim it when you file - most tax software will check your eligibility automatically.
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Derek Olson
does anyone know if doing doordash delivery for like 3 months would count the same way? i made maybe 6k total but didnt have any taxes taken out cuz its 1099 work. should i still file?
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Danielle Mays
•You definitely need to file for 1099 income regardless of the amount! Self-employment income has a much lower filing threshold (around $400). Unlike W-2 employees, you didn't have taxes automatically withheld, so you'll probably owe self-employment tax (about 15.3% of your net profit).
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Derek Olson
•oh crap i had no idea! i thought since it was under the standard deduction i was good. so ur saying i might actually owe money instead of getting a refund? thats the opposite of what i wanted to hear lol
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Danielle Mays
•Yes, unfortunately with 1099 work you'll likely owe the self-employment tax even if you're below the standard deduction. The standard deduction only eliminates income tax, not self-employment tax. If you earned about $6k, you're looking at roughly $900 in self-employment tax. But don't worry too much - you can probably deduct business expenses like mileage, which could reduce what you owe. Start tracking your mileage and other expenses now if you're still doing delivery work. And if you file, you might qualify for some credits that could offset what you owe.
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Liam Fitzgerald
Just wanted to add that you should also keep an eye out for your W-2 form, which should arrive by January 31st. This will have all the exact numbers you need - your total wages in Box 1 and federal income tax withheld in Box 2. Even though you only worked 6 months, employers are required to send W-2s to anyone who earned income during the tax year. Once you have that form, you'll know exactly how much was withheld and can determine your potential refund amount. Most free tax software can handle your straightforward situation, and with your income level, you should qualify for free filing through the IRS Free File program. Don't let the partial year of work discourage you from filing - it's actually pretty common and the process is the same as filing with a full year of income!
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Lauren Johnson
•This is really helpful information! I'm new to filing taxes and wasn't sure about the timeline. Quick question - what happens if my employer doesn't send me the W-2 by January 31st? Should I wait for it or is there another way to get the information I need to file? Also, you mentioned the IRS Free File program - is that different from the free versions of TurboTax and other tax software I see advertised everywhere?
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