Does my child need to file taxes if he or she earns income — Is filing a separate child income tax return necessary?
Regarding a child income tax return, how much he or she earned and from what activity will dictate and determine: does my child need to file taxes? Don’t worry — we’ll help you determine what you and your child need to do.
If your child or dependent is under age 65, he or she must file a return if one of these applies to his or her income:
- Unearned income more than $1,000
- Earned income more than $6,350
- Gross income more than the larger of these:
- $2,100
- Earned income (up to $5,950) plus $350
If your child or dependent is age 65 or older or blind, the filing requirement will be the above amounts plus these amounts:
- $1,550 if filing single
- $1,250 if one of these:
- Married filing jointly
- Married filing separately
- Qualifying widow(er)
Even if your dependent isn’t required to file a return, he or she must file to receive a refund due from wage withholding.
Earned income is usually:
- Wages
- Salaries
- Professional fees
- Other compensation for personal services
Related Resources
Do you have unreimbursed expenses to include on your tax return? Learn how to claim unreimbursed employee expenses with IRS Form 2106.
If you’re itemizing deductions, the IRS generally allows you a medical expenses deduction if you have unreimbursed expenses that are more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income for tax years 2017 or 2018. You can deduct the cost of care from several types of practitioners at various stages of care.
Virtual tax preparations let you complete your taxes online from the comfort of your home. Find out how easy remote tax preparations can be at H&R Block.
What does it mean to be an enrolled agent? Learn more about the roles and requirements of enrolled agent (EA) tax preparers at H&R Block.
