<p>I'm sort of surprised I can't find a thread on it..
I've had part-time jobs all throughout college. I have not the slightest clue how to file taxes. Or whether I <em>need</em> to file taxes. Or what a tax form looks like, much less how to fill one out or where to send it. I can't just ask my parents because they don't work and so they don't know anything about filing taxes either. How do you guys all do it? How did you learn? SOMEONE HELP :(</p>
<p>First question: Did you receive a W-2 form in the mail? A W-2 form is a statement from you employer, stating how much money you made with them in 2007, and how much was taken from your pay for Federal taxes, state taxes, and county/municipal taxes(if applicable) that year. Usually the W-2 includes 3 stubs with this information on it so you can hand them into the person who does your taxes when you file you return.</p>
<p>Second question: Did you make less than $40,000 in 2007? (You don’t have to answer this in any subsequent post). If yes, then the IRS will do your federal taxes and file your federal return for you, free of charge, at their local office, if you live in or near a municipality with an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center. To find out where your nearest IRS TAC is follow this link: [Contact</a> My Local Office](<a href=“http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts/index.html]Contact”>http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts/index.html).
The IRS might be able to file your state return as well. If they don’t, then they’ll tell where to go to have your state and local tax returns filed. At the IRS TAC they’ll fill out the forms for you on the computer (e-file), Print you a copy, and, if possible, allow you to choose an option for receiving your refund (check via mail or direct deposit into your checking account). Just be sure to bring your w-2 forms, your social security card, a photo ID (driver’s license/permit, State ID), and your checkbook (if you want your refund to be direct deposited).</p>
<p>Also, if you have access to the internet, The IRS has a freefile section where you select a software company and if you can file for free and the program takes care of the calculations for you. We used the turbotax one. The IRS freefile link is here</p>
<p>[Free</a> File Home - Your Link to Free Federal Online Filing](<a href=“http://www.irs.gov/efile/article/0,,id=118986,00.html]Free”>http://www.irs.gov/efile/article/0,,id=118986,00.html)</p>
<p>If you had earned income only you need to file if you had earned income (from a job with W2s or from taxable scholarships/grants) of over $5350.</p>
<p>If you have unearned income you have to file if it is over $850</p>
<p>If you have a combination of earned/unearned the amounts are different to the above but i am not sure what.</p>
<p>If you are unsure if you need to file go ahead and enter the info on one of the freefile sites. It will tell you if you need to file.</p>
<p>If you have worked and had any taxes deducted file even if not required in order to get your taxes refunded.</p>
<p>Deadline is April 15th so get on it quick. And don’t forget State taxes (which I think you can do from the same site but I’m not sure as we did it direct on our State’s web site).</p>
<p>I’ve always just used TurboTax for my taxes. It’s a pretty simple program that just asks you questions & then does all the calculations. There is a free federal version of turbotax you can do online from the turbotax website, but the state ones aren’t there.</p>
<p>I don’t know the income limits like the other posters, so I’m hoping they are correct. If you received anything in the mail over the past couple months that says “IMPORTANT TAX DOCUMENT” - like a W2 (work income) or a 1099-INT (bank interest), then you should probably be filing taxes, using the info on those forms. You might have also received forms from your school denoting how much you paid in tuition, or money you got in scholarships (1098-T).</p>
<p>If you are total lost & confused & for some reason or another don’t want to go to your local IRS office (I had no idea they’d do it for free if you made under 40K), then you can always pay a company like H&R block to do it for you - just bring everything you think you might possibly need regarding your income & your identity.</p>
<p>Thanks soo much for the responses so far!! =) Very helpful.</p>
<p>I did get a W2 in the mail..
I got one last year too but pretty much ignored it since I made very little that year.
Out of curiosity.. are taxes so hard to do that one needs a program to calculate it? I have no idea what sort of stuff it asks to calculate.. lol.</p>
<p>Just use one of the online or computerized programs - they calculate everything for you.</p>
<p>I use [H&R</a> Block | Taxes, Online Tax Preparation, Tax Software, Filing Advice, Help & Tax Return Information](<a href=“http://www.hrblock.com%5DH&R”>http://www.hrblock.com) and it works great. Basically you just input the data from your W2 and answer some questions about your finances (easy). Its as easy as “put the amount in box 3 of your W2 here”. I got a $700 return this year.</p>
<p>If your taxes are very simple you can just get the forms and do them. But you have to figure out your standard deductions, personal exemptions etc. As the online freefile programs are there you might as well use them.</p>
<p>As far as State taxes are concerned some States also have online forms. Our State you cannot file online from the site but you can enter the numbers and it does all the calculations for you.</p>
<p>Make a folder. keep copies of all the tax forms and returns just in case of questions from the IRS in future years.</p>
<p>By the way, if your uncle gives you $500 or something for your birthday/graduation/whatever, that’s NOT income. Monetary gifts are specifically excluded from gross income.</p>