IRS Filing Requirements and Status 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A single taxpayer, age 67, has Social Security income of $14,000 and no other income in 2024. Must they file a federal tax return?
- Yes, because Social Security is always taxable
- No, because their gross income is below the filing threshold for their age (Correct answer)
- Yes, because anyone over 65 must file
- No, because Social Security income is never counted toward the filing threshold
Correct answer: No, because their gross income is below the filing threshold for their age
A single taxpayer age 65 or older has a higher filing threshold, and if their only income is Social Security that falls below it, no return is required.
Question 2: Which filing status typically results in the lowest tax rate for an eligible taxpayer?
- Single
- Married Filing Separately
- Head of Household
- Qualifying Surviving Spouse (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Qualifying Surviving Spouse
Qualifying Surviving Spouse uses the same tax brackets as Married Filing Jointly, which generally provides the lowest rates.
Question 3: A taxpayer's spouse died in 2022. They have a dependent child living with them. What is their filing status for tax year 2024?
- Single
- Head of Household (Correct answer)
- Qualifying Surviving Spouse
- Married Filing Jointly
Correct answer: Head of Household
Qualifying Surviving Spouse status is only available for the two tax years after the year of a spouse's death (2023 and 2024 would be eligible if death was in 2022—wait, death in 2022, so 2023 and 2024 qualify), so 2024 is the second year and QSS applies.
Question 4: Which of the following types of income does NOT count toward the gross income filing threshold?
- Wages from a part-time job
- Taxable interest
- Tax-exempt municipal bond interest (Correct answer)
- Self-employment net earnings over $400
Correct answer: Tax-exempt municipal bond interest
Tax-exempt interest, such as from municipal bonds, is excluded from gross income and does not count toward the filing requirement threshold.
Question 5: A dependent child has only unearned income of $1,500 in 2024. Are they required to file a federal return?
- Yes, because the unearned income exceeds $400
- No, because dependents never have to file
- Yes, because unearned income over $1,300 triggers filing for dependents (Correct answer)
- No, because unearned income is never taxable for minors
Correct answer: Yes, because unearned income over $1,300 triggers filing for dependents
For 2024, a dependent must file if their unearned income exceeds $1,300, so $1,500 triggers the filing requirement.
Question 6: Married taxpayers lived apart for the entire year but did not legally divorce or separate. Under what condition can one spouse file as Head of Household?
- They cannot; married taxpayers must always file jointly or separately
- If they paid more than half the cost of maintaining a home for a qualifying child (Correct answer)
- If they lived in different states
- If one spouse had no income during the year
Correct answer: If they paid more than half the cost of maintaining a home for a qualifying child
A married taxpayer is considered unmarried for HOH purposes if they lived apart from their spouse for the last 6 months and maintained a home for a qualifying child.
Question 7: What is the minimum net self-employment earnings amount that triggers a federal filing requirement, regardless of other income?
- $600
- $400 (Correct answer)
- $1,000
- $2,000
Correct answer: $400
Net self-employment earnings of $400 or more require filing a federal return to pay self-employment tax, even if total income is otherwise below the standard threshold.
IRS Filing Requirements and Status 2
A single taxpayer, age 67, has Social Security income of $14,000 and no other income in 2024.
Must they file a federal tax return?