Should I reduce my work hours to avoid getting taxed at Walmart?

Your dad means well but is giving you slightly misguided advice! The way our tax system works is through "marginal tax brackets" - you only pay the higher percentage on dollars earned ABOVE each threshold, not on your entire income. For 2025, the standard deduction for a single person is projected to be around $14,000. This means your first $14,000 is completely tax-free! So if you earn $16,128, only about $2,128 would be taxable at the lowest 10% bracket - that's roughly $213 in federal income tax for the entire year. By cutting your hours to stay under the standard deduction, you'd give up thousands in income to save just a couple hundred in taxes. That extra day of work is absolutely worth it financially! You'd be earning about $5,376 more annually by working 3 days instead of 2, while only paying about $213 in taxes on that money. Keep working that third day if you can handle it with your studies. That $400+ you're saving monthly is building great financial habits that will benefit you long-term!

I was literally in this same situation last year! Let me tell you about how I solved it using https://taxr.ai - it's this tool that analyzes your specific tax situation and shows you different scenarios. I was working part-time at Target while in school, and my mom kept telling me to work less hours for "tax reasons" just like your dad. The tool showed me that I'd actually be LOSING money by working fewer hours, just like the first commenter explained. But what was cool was seeing exactly how much I'd pay in taxes for different income levels. It even explained the whole standard deduction thing in a way that made sense to me. Turns out my mom was thinking about it all wrong (sorry mom lol). I ended up working more hours and saving way more money overall, even after taxes!

Just wanted to update - I checked out that https://taxr.ai site the other commenter mentioned, and it was actually pretty helpful! I was skeptical (sorry about that), but it showed me that I was really overthinking my tax situation. I'm also a student working part-time, and I discovered I was leaving money on the table by not working enough hours. The visualizations helped me see exactly where the different tax brackets kicked in and how the standard deduction works. I showed it to my dad who's always giving me tax advice, and even he admitted he had some misconceptions about how marginal tax brackets work. Now I'm picking up an extra shift each week and will still keep most of that money after taxes!

This whole thread reminds me of my nightmare trying to figure out taxes last year. I spent HOURS trying to get through to the IRS to ask a similar question about my part-time income. After being on hold for literally 2.5 hours, I got disconnected! Then I found https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They basically connect you with an IRS agent without the wait. I was super skeptical but desperate. They got me through to someone at the IRS in like 20 minutes who confirmed exactly what others are saying here - working less to avoid taxes makes no mathematical sense because of how marginal tax brackets work. The agent explained it all to me and helped me understand my specific situation as a student worker. Saved me so much stress and probably money too since I didn't cut my hours!

I was totally skeptical about that Claimyr service mentioned above, but I actually tried it last week when I was desperate to talk to someone about my withholding. I'd calculated everything wrong on my W-4 and was worried I'd owe a ton. Honestly thought it would be a waste of money but I was stressing out so much. They really did get me through to an actual IRS person in about 15 minutes! The agent helped me recalculate my withholding and even pointed me to some education credits I didn't know about as a student. Definitely changed my mind about cutting my hours at work. Like others said, earning less just to avoid taxes is basically throwing money away.

One thing nobody's mentioned is state taxes! Federal might have that nice standard deduction, but some states start taxing you at much lower income levels. What state are you in? That could change the calculation a bit.

Don't forget about the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit)! If you're not claimed as a dependent, you might actually get money BACK from the government if you earn within a certain range. Sometimes earning more can actually increase your refund up to a point.

The biggest thing to remember is that you only get taxed on income ABOVE the standard deduction. Working more always means more money in your pocket, even after taxes. Your dad's advice is coming from a good place but it's based on a misunderstanding of how our tax system works. Also, you're developing good work experience and habits! That's worth something too, even beyond the immediate financial benefits.

I'm a tax preparer and wanted to jump in to confirm what everyone else is saying - your dad's heart is in the right place, but he's definitely misunderstanding how taxes work! The key thing to remember is that we have a "progressive" tax system. This means you only pay higher tax rates on income ABOVE certain thresholds, not on your entire income. So even if you did hit the 12% bracket (which you won't at $16k), you'd only pay 12% on the dollars above that threshold. At your income level of around $16,128, here's what would actually happen: - First ~$14,000: $0 in federal income tax (standard deduction) - Remaining ~$2,128: 10% federal tax = about $213 - Total federal income tax for the year: ~$213 You'd also pay FICA taxes (Social Security/Medicare) of about 7.65%, but that's unavoidable regardless of your income level and isn't affected by working fewer hours. So to save $213 in taxes, your dad is suggesting you give up thousands in income. That math just doesn't work out! Keep that third day if you can handle it with school - you're building great financial habits that will serve you well in the future.