Basically, "being a minor" has little or nothing to do with getting an income tax refund.
It you're a 10-year old child actor that got paid $250,000 to appear in a movie, you're going to get hit with a lot of taxes and the only way your going to get "a refund" is if you paid more in taxes through taxes withheld than your tax liability based on your taxable income. In some respects "being a minor" works against you if your parents are claiming you as a dependent because you don't get an exemption for yourself - your parents get that - you only get the standard deduction.
If you worked at a job and got paid and taxes were withheld from your paycheck then you certainly should file an income tax return. Assuming you are a dependent of someone else then you'd need to indicate that on your income tax return - TurboTax asks - and whether you get a refund of the income taxes you paid via withholding depends on the amount of taxes withheld vs. your income tax liability. (The way these things work there's a high probability that you will get a refund.) But only "income taxes" are eligible for refund. Any amounts paid into Medicare or Social Security will not be refunded to you.
Tom Young
