Do 15 year olds pay less tax?

[Critter-3]

They are subject to the same tax rules as everyone else  PLUS  the "kiddie tax" rules  so they could actually pay more depending on the type of income they have.  

How do I report and pay the Kiddie Tax?

The Kiddie Tax is reported on your child's return (or yours, under specific conditions outlined below). However, including child income on your return not only increases your taxable income, it can reduce or eliminate deductions and credits that phase out at higher incomes.

For this reason, many people opt to file a separate return for their child. When you prepare your child's return, we'll ask you to enter info from one of the parents:

• For jointly-filing parents, enter the parent that appears first on the joint return.
• For separately-filing or unmarried parents, enter the parent with the highest taxable income.
• For divorced parents, enter the custodial parent.

When can I include my child's income on my return?

All these conditions must be met:

• Your child was under age 19 (24 if a full-time student) as of January 1, 2019;*
• Your child's income was solely from interest and dividends (including capital gains distributions and Alaska Permanent Fund dividends) and is less than $10,500;
• Your child is required to file (that is, their income exceeded $1,050);
• Your child is not filing a joint 2018 return;
• No 2018 estimated tax payments were made for your child (including 2017 overpayments applied to 2018 estimated tax)
• No federal taxes were withheld from your child's income; and
• You're either filing a joint return with your child's other parent or you're the parent who is qualified to include your child's income on your return (i.e., you're the custodial parent, or you and your spouse are filing separately and you have the higher taxable income).

To report your child's income on your return, simply follow these instructions and we'll apply the Kiddie Tax calculations.

*If your child was born on January 1, 2000, they are no longer considered "under 19" and therefore their income cannot be reported on your return. Same goes for full-time students born on January 1 of 1995, who are no longer considered "under 24."

Related Information:

• What is the Kiddie Tax?
• Do I need to file my own taxes if I'm a dependent?
• How do I report my child's investment income?

[xmasbaby0]

Age plays no part in how much tax you might owe.  The one exception is the higher standard deduction for people 65 and older.

You do not say why you are asking.  Do you have a dependent child who needs to file a tax return?

MY DEPENDENT HAD A JOB

If your dependent has a W-2 for his after-school job, summer job, etc. you do not include the information on your own return. You can still claim your child as a dependent on your own return.  He/she can file his own return for a refund of some of his withheld wages (he won’t get back anything for Social Security or Medicare), but MUST indicate on it that he can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return.  (Supervise this closely or prepare it for him!)

If your dependent’s earnings were over $400 and were reported on a 1099Misc then he must file a return and pay self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare.  You may want to use this version of TT for that:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900583-what-is-turbotax-free-file-program

[DoninGA]

No.  If you have taxable income then it is taxed at the same rate as everyone else.

Although if your total earned income is less than your standard deduction for your filing status, you will not owe any taxes and receive any taxes withheld from your earned income as a tax refund when you file your tax return.

At age 15 you will be a dependent on your parents or guardian's tax return.  When you file your tax return you have to indicate on your tax return that you are a dependent.

If you are under the age of 16 at the end of the tax year you can only print and mail the tax return, it cannot be e-filed.

Filing Requirements for tax year 2019 -

Single dependents—Were you either age 65 or older or blind?
No. You must file a return if any of the following apply.
1. Your unearned income was more than $1,100.
2. Your earned income was more than $12,200.
3. Your gross income was more than the larger of—
a. $1,100, or
b. Your earned income (up to $11,850) plus $350.