topic Re: If I do not owe any taxes, and the government doesn’t owe me any money back, do I have to file? in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

If I do not owe any taxes, and the government doesn’t owe me any money back, do I have to file?

mgr — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 08:07:38 GMT

Do I have to file if I do not owe any money to the government?

Re: If I do not owe any taxes, and the government doesn’t owe me any money back, do I have to file?

Mike9241 — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:47:15 GMT

you have not provided enough information for your question to be answered. you can review charts A, B and C

starting on page 9 of the 1040 instructions

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf

or you can use this iRS website to check

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/do-i-need-to-file-a-tax-return

if you are subject to state income taxes, each has their own rules for who must file.

Re: If I do not owe any taxes, and the government doesn’t owe me any money back, do I have to file?

Hal_Al — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:13:07 GMT

Q. If I do not owe any taxes, and the government doesn’t owe me any money back, do I have to file?

A. Probably (usually) not. But those two facts, alone, do not determine whether you need to file. The filing requirement is based on "gross income" (not "taxable income"). In addition to the table on page 9 of the instructions, there is a separate table (lower numbers) on page 10 for those who are, or can be, claimed as a dependent.