Should I file taxes as a college student who only made $5000 this year?
Hey everyone, I'm currently in my second year of university and I've never filed taxes before. I work part-time at the campus bookstore, but I don't make that much money. According to my W-2 form, I earned about $5,000 last year. I'm wondering if I even need to file taxes with income this low? Would I get any money back if I did file? Also, if I should file, what's the best way to do it and where should I go? This is all new to me and my parents always told me I didn't need to bother with taxes while in school. Thanks for any help!
23 comments
Join the conversation
Natasha Volkov
You're not legally required to file taxes if your income is under $12,950 (the standard deduction for 2025), but you should absolutely file anyway! With only $5,000 in income, you'll likely get back 100% of any federal taxes that were withheld from your paychecks. Check your W-2 form and look at Box 2 - that's the federal income tax that was withheld. This is money that will come back to you when you file. You might also qualify for education credits like the American Opportunity Credit which could give you up to $1,000 as a refundable credit even if you don't owe taxes. Filing is pretty simple with your situation. You can use free filing software like IRS Free File, TurboTax Free, or H&R Block Free. These are all easy to use and will walk you through the process step by step. They'll help you claim any education credits you might qualify for too.
0 coins
Javier Torres
•Do you know if they would need to file state taxes too? Or just federal? I always get confused about that part.
0 coins
Natasha Volkov
•For state taxes, it depends on which state you live in. Some states have no income tax at all (like Texas, Florida, and a few others). Other states have different filing thresholds. Generally, if you're filing a federal return, it's a good idea to file your state return too because you might get a state refund. Most of the free tax software I mentioned will help you file both federal and state returns, and they'll tell you if you're required to file in your state based on your income level. State filing is usually just a few extra steps after you complete your federal return.
0 coins
Emma Wilson
I was in the exact same situation last year! I was hesitant to file taxes because I only made around $6k at my campus job, but I decided to check out https://taxr.ai and it was seriously the best decision. Their system analyzed my W-2 and student status and showed me I was eligible for education credits I had no idea about! The cool thing is you just upload your documents and their AI walks you through everything. As a student with a simple tax situation, it took me maybe 20 minutes total. I ended up getting nearly $800 back between federal and state when I thought I might get nothing!
0 coins
QuantumLeap
•Does it really work for students specifically? Like, does it know about the education credits and stuff? I tried using another site last year and it completely missed some deductions I could have taken for my textbooks.
0 coins
Malik Johnson
•Is it actually free tho? I've tried other "free" tax sites before and they always end up charging me at the end when I try to file.
0 coins
Emma Wilson
•It absolutely works for students! It specifically asked about my education expenses and automatically checked if I qualified for the American Opportunity Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit. It even knew to ask about textbooks, course materials, and equipment I bought for school. Way more thorough than the generic tax sites. As for the cost, it has a completely free tier for simple returns like yours with just W-2 income. I used the free version with my situation (just a W-2 and being a student) and filed both federal and state without paying anything. They're super transparent about what would trigger additional costs, but most students with just a job or two won't need the paid features.
0 coins
QuantumLeap
Just wanted to update after trying https://taxr.ai that was mentioned here! I was skeptical but decided to give it a shot with my $4700 of income from my barista job. The site immediately recognized I was a student and asked about education expenses I never would have thought to include. I just got my refund yesterday - $720 total! That's going straight to my textbooks for next semester. It literally took me like 15 minutes to file both federal and state. If you're a student with a simple return like me, definitely worth checking out!
0 coins
Isabella Santos
One thing nobody's mentioned - if you're struggling to get answers from the IRS about student credits (which I was), try https://claimyr.com to actually get through to a real person at the IRS. Last year I had weird issues with my education credits and spent HOURS trying to call them with no luck. Claimyr holds your place in line with the IRS and calls you when an actual agent is ready to talk. Saved me literally 3+ hours of hold time. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was about to give up on claiming my education credits until I finally got someone on the phone who fixed everything in like 10 minutes.
0 coins
Ravi Sharma
•Wait how does this even work? The IRS never answers their phones. I tried calling them 6 times last year about my student loan interest deduction.
0 coins
Malik Johnson
•This sounds fake tbh. Why would I trust some random service to help me talk to the IRS? Seems sketchy to give your info to a third party.
0 coins
Isabella Santos
•The way it works is actually pretty clever - they use an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they get through to a real person, they call you and connect you directly. It's basically like having someone wait on hold instead of you. I had the exact same concern about trusting a third party. But they don't actually need any of your personal tax info - they're just getting you connected to the IRS. Once you're connected, you're talking directly with the IRS agent. They can't hear your conversation or access any of your information. I was hesitant too but after waiting on hold for 2+ hours myself, I was desperate enough to try it.
0 coins
Malik Johnson
I need to take back what I said about Claimyr seeming sketchy. I was really skeptical but was getting desperate after trying to call the IRS for days about my education credits. I finally tried the service yesterday after seeing it mentioned here. Got a call back in about 40 minutes and was connected directly to an IRS agent who actually helped resolve my issue about the American Opportunity Credit! I would have NEVER gotten through on my own - I'd tried 5 times before. Honestly shocked it worked so well after all my failed attempts.
0 coins
Freya Larsen
Just adding my 2 cents as someone who's been in your shoes - definitely file! I was in college making around $6k a year and thought it wasn't worth filing. Turns out I was leaving money on the table for YEARS. Last year I filed for the first time and got back almost $900 between federal and state returns! The education credits made a huge difference. Plus, filing builds your history with the IRS which can be helpful later in life. I used FreeTaxUSA and it was super simple - took maybe 30 minutes total.
0 coins
Oliver Schmidt
•Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I had no idea I could get back that much with such a low income. Did you need any special documents for the education credits besides your W-2?
0 coins
Freya Larsen
•You'll need a Form 1098-T from your university which shows your tuition and qualified expenses. Your school should have either mailed it to you or made it available in your student portal. Just log into your university account and look for tax forms or 1098-T specifically. You'll also want to keep receipts for textbooks and required course materials, as those can count toward your qualified education expenses too. Most tax software will walk you through exactly what you need. The American Opportunity Credit can be worth up to $2,500, with up to $1,000 of that being refundable (meaning you get it back even if you owe no taxes).
0 coins
Omar Hassan
just wondering, does anyone know if scholarships affect taxes for students? i got a partial scholarship last year but still had to pay like $3k out of pocket for tuition
0 coins
Natasha Volkov
•Yes, scholarships can affect your taxes, but it depends on how they were used. Scholarships used for qualified education expenses (tuition, required fees, books) are generally tax-free and don't need to be reported as income. However, if any portion of your scholarship went toward room and board, travel, or optional fees, that portion is considered taxable income. Your 1098-T form from your school should show your scholarships/grants separately from your tuition charges. The $3k you paid out of pocket could still qualify you for education credits, so definitely include that when you file!
0 coins
Omar Hassan
•thanks so much for explaining! this makes way more sense now. i'll double check my 1098-T to see how the scholarship was applied.
0 coins
Chloe Taylor
If ur parents still claim u as a dependent make sure to check that box when filing!!! I messed this up last year and both me and my parents got letters from the IRS cuz we filed conflicting returns. Total nightmare to fix
0 coins
Oliver Schmidt
•Oh that's a good point! I should probably ask my parents if they're claiming me this year. Do you know how that affects what I would get back?
0 coins
Chloe Taylor
•If ur parents claim u, u can still file and get back any withheld taxes, but u can't claim ur own personal exemption. The good news is u can still get education credits on ur own return even if ur a dependent! But def check with ur parents first! The IRS has rules about who can claim who, it's based on if they provide more than half ur support for the year and stuff like that.
0 coins
Charity Cohan
Definitely file! I was in almost the exact same situation my sophomore year - made about $5,200 working at the campus library. Even though you're not required to file with income under the standard deduction, you'll almost certainly get money back from any federal taxes that were withheld from your paychecks. Check your W-2 in box 2 to see what federal taxes were taken out - that's money you can get back! Plus, as a student, you might qualify for education credits even with low income. The American Opportunity Credit can give you up to $1,000 as a refundable credit. I'd recommend using one of the free filing options like IRS Free File or FreeTaxUSA since your situation is straightforward. Make sure you have your W-2 and your 1098-T form from your school (should be in your student portal). The whole process took me maybe 30 minutes and I got back around $400 that I wasn't expecting! Also definitely coordinate with your parents about whether they're claiming you as a dependent - you can still file and get refunds even if they claim you, but you need to mark the dependent box correctly to avoid issues with the IRS.
0 coins