If your income is less than the standard deduction, you'd generally still take the standard deduction (unless you're not allowed to) and your taxable income would be zero.
You can't take the standard deduction if:
- you're filing married filing separately and your spouse itemizes
- you were a nonresident or dual alien during the year
- your tax return covers a period of less than 12 months
If none of those situations applies to you, you can take the standard deduction even if it exceeds your income.
For more information, please see Topic 551, Standard Deduction