Hello,
I am a single 22 year old and in 2026 according to my W-2 I only made about 4000, I have no side hustles or additional income, claim no dependents, or anything else. I did turbo tax and it says that I will get no refund. I live in the state of Georgia. Do I still need to file my taxes using something, and if so does anyone have any free recommendations (turbo tax wants to charge me 140 dollars)
Tax confusion for 2026
byu/AccordingLength1652 inpersonalfinance
Posted by AccordingLength1652
5 Comments
First: you should not use TurboTax for this. Their pricing and business practices are predatory. Use https://www.freetaxusa.com/freefile2025/
Second: your W-2 is for 2025, right? What is the amount in box 2 and box 17?
> in 2026 according to my W-2 I only made about 4000
You got the year wrong. Your W-2 is for year 2025 or earlier. 2026 isn’t over yet so it’s impossible to get a W-2 for 2026.
> I did turbo tax and it says that I will get no refund
That’s a good thing (no refund), because your tax withholding (probably $0) exactly covered your tax liability (also probably $0).
>Do I still need to file my taxes using something
https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/do-i-need-to-file-a-tax-return
>does anyone have any free recommendations
FreeTaxUSA
Legally you don’t need to file your taxes for 2025 because you make below the threshold where it’s required. But it’s worth checking to see if you’d get a state refund.
All of these let you file federally for free, so check to see which will you let file state for free: https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/browse-all-offers
I can’t speak for other states, but the tax board in California encourages people to call and ask questions regarding taxes. Even just for gaining understanding ! If you’d like to know more about filling out your tax forms without expensive software you should totally call your state’s tax agency and ask questions. Hopefully they’re as helpful!
Filing your taxes is always necessary unless your income is below a certain threshold for that year.
Also, If you are owed a refund, you will only get that refund if you file.
Please stop using TurboTax. They lobby the government to ensure completing a tax return remains complicated so that they can keep themselves in business. I’d use Free Tax USA or the online forms available via the IRS.