Should I be paying federal taxes as an underage worker with low income?

You're asking a really good question! Even when your income is below the filing threshold, employers are still required to withhold federal taxes from your paycheck - it's just how the system is set up. The good news is you can get that money back! Since your annual income is under the standard deduction ($14,600 for single filers in 2025), you shouldn't owe any federal income tax. But you need to actually file a tax return to get those withholdings refunded to you. It sounds like you didn't file for 2024 taxes (which would have been due in April 2025), which explains why you didn't get a refund. You can still file for that year - you have up to three years to claim a refund. You'll want to complete a Form 1040 and submit it to the IRS. Your employer should have provided you with a W-2 form showing your earnings and what was withheld.

I was in this exact same situation last year! I was working part-time at a coffee shop making around $10,500 and noticed they were taking out taxes every paycheck. I was so confused but then I found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that explained everything to me in super simple terms. It analyzed my situation and showed me exactly why taxes were being withheld and how to get them back. The best part was that it walked me through filing my first return step by step. I was nervous about messing something up but it made everything super clear. It even showed me that I qualified for some credits I had no idea about!

Guys I just tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and it was exactly what I needed! I've been working at the movie theater since last summer and had the same question about why they're taking taxes out. The site explained that my employer is required to withhold regardless of my total annual income, but I'm entitled to get it all back by filing. It showed me how to fill out a 1040 form for my simple situation and even explained which forms I needed from my employer. I feel so much better now understanding what's happening with my money! Just wanted to update and say thanks for the suggestion.

If you're trying to contact the IRS to sort this out, good luck getting through to them! I had a similar withholding issue last year and spent DAYS trying to reach someone. After endless busy signals and disconnects, I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at the IRS in about 15 minutes. They have this demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c It was super helpful because the IRS agent was able to tell me exactly what forms I needed to file to get my withholdings back and confirmed I could still claim previous years. Saved me so much frustration compared to waiting on hold forever!

Ok I need to apologize to everyone for being so skeptical. I actually tried Claimyr after commenting here because my frustration with the IRS reached new levels yesterday. I've been trying for TWO WEEKS to talk to someone about missing withholding credits from 2023. I seriously couldn't believe it when I got a call back in about 20 minutes connecting me to an actual IRS agent. The agent helped me sort out my withholding issue and confirmed I can still file for previous years to get my money back. I'm still shocked it actually worked. Sorry for doubting - just wanted to follow up that it legitimately saved me hours of frustration.

Just so you know, you can file previous tax years even if it's past the deadline! If you're owed a refund, there's no penalty for filing late. You have 3 years from the original due date to claim your refund. So for taxes from 2022, which were due April 2023, you have until April 2026 to file and claim any refund. After that, the money goes to the government permanently. You'll need to use the tax forms specific to that year though, not the current year forms.

One thing no one mentioned yet - if you're a student, your parents might be claiming you as a dependent on their taxes, which affects how you should file. You should ask them before filing anything!