@OxanaD wrote:
Also, mom’s income is staying the same this year. And last year she received a refund. So it’s likely, she doesn’t need to pay taxes in advance quarterly?
It would be best to pay something. If her total tax was (for example) $2000, it would be best to pay $500 per quarter. This could be through withholding from a job or social security, or estimated payments, or a combination. I don't know what kind of income and deductions she has so I can't be specific. (Often, a retired person will pay little or no tax, even with a small side job.)
There is a rule that penalties for non-payment or underpayment will not be enforced if the person owes less than $1000 at tax time, or they paid into the IRS (via combination of withholding and payments) at least 90% of their tax. This is not the same as getting a refund. For example, if her withholding and payments were $5000 and she got a $1000 refund, then her tax was $4000. If her tax is expected to be the same this year, she needs to pay at least $3000 into the system by combination of withholding and payments. On the other hand, if her only income is this job plus social security, and she had $1000 of withholding and got a $1000 refund, then she owed no tax, and if she is expected to owe no tax this year, she does not need to make a payment.
