File Your First Tax Return

The story: Jade files for the first time

At a free tax help site, a volunteer helps Jade file a first tax return using a sample W-2.

1. Narrator: Jade earned a little at a summer job, and some federal income tax was held back. Jade’s income was low.
2. Jade: Do I even need to file? I barely earned anything.
3. Narrator: Maybe not. But filing is the only way to get back tax that was held back. So Jade files anyway.
4. Adult: Welcome to free tax help. Bring your forms and your income log, and we’ll walk through it together.
5. Narrator: Jade’s family can claim Jade as a dependent, so Jade checks the box that says so.
6. Jade: My state has an income tax too, so I’ll file a state return as well.
7. Narrator: Had taxes held back? File to get yours back.

What you’ll learn

1. Do you have to file?

   Whether you must file depends on how much you earned and what kind of income it was. The amounts are on the fact card. Even if you don’t have to file, filing is how you get back tax that was held back.

2. The steps

   1. Gather your forms and your income log. 2. File your federal tax return. 3. File a state return too, if your state has an income tax. 4. Check everything, then e-file. 5. Get your refund or make your payment.

3. Free ways to file

   IRS.gov lists free ways to file. VITA sites offer free help in person, often at libraries and community centers. If someone can claim you as a dependent, there’s a box on the return that says so.

4. Watch for refund scams

   The IRS doesn’t start contact by text, email or social media to promise a refund. Never share personal info through a link. An extension gives more time to file, not more time to pay.

Key words

tax return

the form you file to settle up your tax for the year

dependent

someone another person can claim on their tax return

e-file

sending your tax return online

extension

more time to file a return, but not more time to pay

Common questions

What if I make a mistake on my return?

You can fix it later by filing an amended return. Mistakes happen, and free help sites can walk you through it.

Remember this

Had taxes held back? File to get yours back.

Try it: File the sample return

1. Use the sample W-2 from this lesson.
2. Fill in the sample return on paper, or list the free filing options on IRS.gov.
3. Add one line: does the sample person’s state have an income tax?

File the sample return on paper, or list the free filing options on IRS.gov.

Live facts

Numbers that change over time, with when they were last checked and where they come from.

• Who must file, including dependents

  Source: IRS Publication 501(opens in a new tab)

• This year’s filing deadline

  Source: IRS.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Free ways to file

  Source: IRS.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Free tax help near you (VITA)

  Source: IRS.gov(opens in a new tab)

• How to tell if it’s really the IRS

  Source: IRS.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Your state’s tax agency

  Source: IRS.gov(opens in a new tab)