You as a parent will file your taxes no differently than you have in the past, when it comes to the kids. Just because they're working doesn't change that, unless they each provide more than half of their own support. Seriously doubtful for a child just starting their first job.
The kids do not need to file a tax return if:
- They have less than $12K of ***EARNED*** income from a W-2 job
- The have less than $400 of ***EARNED*** income from self-employment.
- The have less than $1,050 of ***UN*** earned income, such as from bank interest, dividends, and investments.
However, even if they meet the above requirements to not file a tax return, if they have any tax withheld from their pay then they may want to file a tax return to get those withheld taxes refunded to them. If so, understand that social security (box 4 of W-2) and Medicare (box 6 of W-2) are never refunded. So if they get a W-2 with any amount in box 2, yet still meet the "don't need to file" requirements above, they can file anyway and get that amount in box 2 refunded to them.
Note that as minors filing their first tax return, they will not be able to e-file for their first year, and/or if they are under the age of 18 at the time of e-filing. They will each have to print, sign and mail their return to the IRS.
Finally, if your state taxes personal income, you will want to check the state filing requirements on your state's website, as they may be different than federal filing requirements.
