Twice in the last month Google has led people searching for “Do I have to file a tax return after I turn 72?” to this site. The search engine
To answer the question: YES, you have to file a tax return no matter how young or old you are … if your income exceeds certain levels.
As I wrote in my November story:
(A) single person over age 65 does not have to file a tax return unless their income exceeds $10,950 (in 2011). Social Security benefits are generally NOT included in the income calculation unless your other income exceeds $25,000 if single or $32,000 if married. Refer to Table 1-1 on Page 6 of IRS Publication 17 for more information.
Click here to read my story about the Tax Court case from November.
[…] A: This question has not been asked by any one person, but I have seen people led to this site several times over the last six weeks by Google after entering in this question as a search query. The answer is — yes, if your income exceeds certain levels, as detailed here and here. […]