rockvillemom

Fairly simple question - my son's earned income for 2009 is about $1400. He has no unearned income (dividends, capital gains, etc.) He also has about $22,000 in grant money from his college. My understanding is that while he will receive a 1099-T for the grant money, it is not taxable, as it does not exceed the amount of his tuition, which was about $38,000. So, my question is, does he need to file a tax return? My feeling is he does not need to, as his earned income is below the threshold to file and the grant income is not taxable, but hoping to confirm this, without having to wade through the IRS website. Thank you.

sueinphilly

probably not, but if he had any federal tax withheld from his earned income and he files a tax return, he will get it all back. If he doesn't file, the feds will gladly keep it :-)

Debruns

My son didn't have to file and he made about 2-3,000, but he wanted the 300.00 he earned back...for him the EZ form was worth it. If your son isn't going to get much back, he might not want too. He used 200.00 to put on his loans and bought himself a game with the rest. : )

rockvillemom

Thanks for your help - he did not have any federal taxes withheld from his summer job - so no refund due. Thanks for confirming that I was on the right track with this.