If your taxable income, including the taxable portion of any scholarships, grants, 529 distributions and any other third party income does "NOT" exceed your standard deduction of $12,300 then you do not need to file a tax return. However, if you have self-employment income that exceeds $400 for the year, or if you have investment income that exceeds $1,050 for the year, then you are "REQUIRED" to file a tax return and report "all" income from "all" sources on that tax return.