Do you have to pay income tax after age 72?
Christopher Ramos
Updated on March 27, 2026
No matter what age you are, you may not have to file or pay income taxes, especially if you don’t earn a dollar of income during the tax year. Your filing status also determines how much money you can earn before you have to file a tax return.
At what age does someone stop paying taxes?
age 65
Updated for Tax Year 2019 You can stop filing income taxes at age 65 if: You are a senior that is not married and make less than $13,850. You are a senior that is married, and you are going to file jointly and make less than $27,000 combined.
At what income do you stop paying taxes?
The amount that you have to make to not pay federal income tax depends on your age, filing status, your dependency on other taxpayers and your gross income. For example, in the year 2018, the maximum earning before paying taxes for a single person under the age of 65 was $12,000.
Who is exempt from paying taxes?
If you’re over the age of 65, single and have a gross income of $14,050 or less, you don’t have to pay taxes. Or if you’re married and filing jointly, and you and your spouse are over 65, you can earn up to $27,400 before paying taxes [source: IRS].
When do you stop paying federal income tax?
It is income, not age, that determines when you can stop paying federal income taxes. Basically, you have to file a tax return as of publication if you and your spouse, both over 65, had combined income of more than $21,300 or half your Social Security benefits and other income was more than $32,000 combined.
When do you not have to pay income tax?
No matter what age you are, you may not have to file or pay income taxes, especially if you don’t earn a dollar of income during the tax year. But retirement typically gives you at least a little income to live on without working. Your filing status also determines how much money you can earn before you have to file a tax return.
What happens if you don’t file a tax return?
File your annual tax returns even if you can’t afford it or don’t think you owe taxes, to avoid trouble. Tax evasion can result in fines and expensive interest on the amount you owe.
Is it a crime to not pay taxes?
One way or another, most Americans are expected to pay taxes. Tax avoidance might be legal, but tax evasion constitutes a serious crime. Do it and you’ll likely end up paying a tax penalty. So, how to not pay taxes legally? It turns out that you can avoid paying taxes if you understand some of the ins and outs of the tax code.