Who Must File Income Tax Returns

[Mr Lee]

There has been a few posts on US citizens filing income tax, so I thought I would post this as a guide to who has to file and who does not. Hope it helps.If you're a U.S. citizen or resident, that depends on three factors: (1) gross income, (2) filing status, and (3) age.Gross income is defined in the Tax Code as "all income from whatever source derived" unless otherwise exempt. That sounds complicated, but more or less, think of your gross income as everything you receive before deductions. This includes wages, salary, employee compensation, investment income, self-employment income, unemployment benefits, pension, retirement income and "other income," including gambling and lottery winnings.Social Security benefits are generally not includable unless the total of half of those benefits plus your other gross income and any tax-exempt interest is more than $25,000 ($32,000 if married filing jointly).Your filing status is determined on the last day of the tax year. Generally, your filing status depends on whether you're considered unmarried or married. Marital status is determined by state law with one important exception: For federal tax purposes, same sex marriages are not considered legal marriages. Your options for filing are: Please see the below link for the rest.The complete story HERE