Minimum Income Requirements

The minimum income required to file a tax return has increased for the 2009 tax season. If you earned less than the minimum income for your filing status, you may not need to file a tax return. Listed below are the minimum income levels for the varying filing statuses.

If your filing status is single, and you are 65 or younger , the minimum income requirement is $8,950. If you are over the age of 65, the minimum income requirement is $10,300.

If you're filing as Head of Household, and you're younger than 65, the minimum income requirement is $11,500. If you're over 65, the minimum income requirement is $12,850.

If you're married and filing jointly with your spouse, and you are under the age of 65, the minimum income requirement is $17,900. If you're 65 or older, but your spouse is not, the minimum income requirement is $18,950. If both spouses are 65 or older, the minimum income requirement is $20,000.

If you're filing as married filing separately , the minimum income requirement is $3,500, regardless of age.

For a qualifying widow(er) with dependent children, under the age of 65, the minimum income requirement is $14,400. A qualifying widow(er) over the age of 65 can have an income up to $15,450 before it's required to file a tax return.

What is IRS Taxable Income and What is Not?

Gross income usually includes all payments you receive for services or property you own. The general categories include:

1. Wages
2. Salaries
3. Fees
4. Commissions
5. Tips
6. Fringe Benefits
7. Stock Options

This list is general; there are many other forms of taxable income. Below is a broad guide to help the reader distinguish between taxable and nontaxable income.

Tips (e.g. restaurant, babysitting, valet services)

Any tips that you receive on the job, whether the majority of your income is derived from tips or wages, is considered income and is subject to federal income tax. Non-cash tips in the form of gifts, tickets to sporting events, or other items of value, are subject to federal income tax.

You are required to report cash, check, or credit card tips to your employer so they can deduct social security, Medicare, retirement tax, or any other applicable taxes from your tip earnings .

If you receive $20 or more in tip income in a single calendar month, you must report that income to your employer and they must withhold social security and Medicare tax. If you do not make more than $20 in tips in a single month, you do not have to report the income to your employer but it is necessary to report the income on your federal tax return.

Alimony

If you receive alimony from your spouse or former spouse, you must report the alimony as income in the year that you receive it.

Alimony payments that you pay during the tax year are only tax deductible if they are made under an official divorce or separation instruments and all qualifications are met. Payments that are not made under an official decree or agreement (e.g. a verbal consensus between two parents) are not tax deductible.

you receive child support, that income is not taxable. If you pay child support, that payment is not tax deductible.

Gambling

Winnings from gambling are considered income and subject to federal income tax. You must report gambling winnings on your tax return. You must include all cash winnings and the fair market value of non-cash winnings as taxable income.

You may deduct gambling losses if you itemize your deductions but gambling losses may not be more than gambling income reported on your return. In order to make deductions for your losses, however you must produce a verifiable statement from the institution with whom the losses were incurred.

Moving Expenses

Moving Expenses may be tax deductible if you move for business purposes and meet certain criteria. If you personally finance your moving expenses, the moving arrangement must meet two requirements to qualify as tax deductible: (1) Your new place of business must be at least 50 miles from your old home and (2) you must work 39 weeks out of the first 12 months right after you move to your new location.

If your employer pays for the cost of you to relocate, and the moving expenses would have been deductible if you had paid them yourself, you may exclude the paid moving expenses as taxable income. If your employer pays your moving expenses, but you do not meet the criteria for tax deduction, i.e. your new place of employment is not at least 50 miles from your old home, then you must include the employer financed move as gross income.

For example, if Joe gets a new job that is 35 miles away and his employer moves him 5 miles away from his new job, Joe must include the moving expenses paid by his employer as taxable income. If Joes new job is 1000 miles away and his new employer moves him 980 miles closer to his new job, the moving expenses paid by his company do not have to be included in Joes gross taxable income.

Cancelled Debt

As a general rule, debt that is cancelled by an official lender, as something other than a gift, must be included in your taxable income. There are varying circumstances in which the cancelled debt may be exempted or excluded from the calculation of gross income.

Unemployment Compensation

Unemployment income must be included on your federal and state income taxes. Unemployment income includes all cash and non-cash remuneration received from the unemployment laws of the United States or of a particular state. This also includes disability benefits. You should receive a 1099 which will display the amount you were paid.

Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits

Persons who only receive social security or equivalent railroad retirement benefits will probably not have to file a tax return. If you receive other income, however, you will have to file a tax return if your AIG is more than the base amount of your filing status.

Pensions and Annuities

Pensions and annuities are either fully taxable or partially taxable depending on your contributions made to the plans. Your pension or annuity is fully taxable if all of the contributions were made by your employer prior to including it in your taxable wages or salary. Returns on payments made with after tax dollars are partially taxable. In that case you will not be charged tax on the cost of the plan or investment but only on the non-taxed interest accrued in the pension or annuity.

Bartering Income

When you exchange goods or services for other goods or services, e.g. you provide tax help for plumbing services, you must include those goods or services as taxable income. The value of the goods and services exchanged are determined by the fair market value of exchange between unrelated parties.

There are many other forms of income and adjustments to your gross income that are not included in this list. Some examples include, interest received, dividends, business income from a pass-through employer, capital gains and losses, lump sum distributions, renting property, earnings for clergy, 401 (k) plans, passive activities, stock options, traders in securities, exchange of policyholder interest for Stock, and many more.

Itemized Deductions

Some itemized deductions will be limited for 2008 if your adjusted gross income is greater than $159,950 if you are married filing jointly and $79,975 if you are married filing separately.

Learn more about filing your taxes at http://www.efile.com. Estimate your federal taxes free, and find out if you can file your federal taxes for free.

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