How the F do taxes work

>be me, 31
>single, no dependents
>have never made much money, even after college
>first year making over 20k gross
>find out when doing taxes i somehow still owe the feds $500 and the state $550

how the fuck does that work? less than $22,000 gross this year paying well over $100 per paycheck in taxes and i still owe them a total of over $1000?

I had over $2000 in medical expenses last year. should those come directly out of what i owe?

halp this brainlet noob piece of shit poverty stricken man please.

How did you survive on less than 20k gross in the past? Minimalist?

are you self-employed?

just give them $10k

rent is pretty low where i was living.

i am not self-employed and never have been

then why didn't have tax withholding on your paychecks?
look over your return again, make sure you are as honest as possible. don't lie to yourself; don't lie to the taxman. if there is a deduction that _might_ apply to your situation, then think about it for a minute. if it applies, it applies. if you owe, you don't have to pay until april or later if you file an extension, so put it off until you get the $1k and change in april.

;( i think i did everything i could.

this fucking sucks because i also now owe over $1000 for medical expenses in just the last two months. what the fuck.

medical expenses should be write-off. are you sure you looked over everything? are you filing a 1040?

i don't even know what a 1040 is. i was just doing the free thing on taxact.com and entered in everything i could think of.

oh man...try asking your dad or something

that's how i ended up in this mess to begin with... too sheltered and shitty at life.

Medical expenses are reported on Schedule A (itemized deductions). Not only does one not get to deduct ALL medical expenses, but most people in OP's income range SHOULD NOT use itemized deductions, as the standard deduction will likely be higher.

OP, if you are getting wages, ask your employer to have you fill out a new W-4 now that you are making some money. The W-4 tells your employer how much money to automatically deduct from each paycheck based on your tax situation. If you had very little or no withholdings on your W-2 (boxes 2, 4, 6, & 17), then it is time to update.
This will help you when it is time to do 2018 taxes if you can't manage writing a check to the IRS and your state govt by mid-Apr.

box 2: $753
box 4: $1347
box 6: $315
box 17: $646

is that seriously low?

By the way, OP. You can thank Trump for nearly doubling the standard deduction for 2018-2025 (even if you're a person who won't thank him for anything else). You will likely owe less money this time next year.

i will be sure to thank him. despite living in an extremely liberal state, i honestly cannot stand the overhyped hatred of the man.

he is just socially somewhat oblivious and tactless but that is not and should not be a crime, nor does it indicate the level of a person's ability IMO.

can anyone let me know if these numbers sound right for a gross annual income of $22k

Hire an accountant if you plan on doing anything nonbasic like reporting crypto. Your tax threads here are straight misinformation, you people have no idea wtf you are doing.
>help user my taxes are fucked even though I filed my own whilst not knowing how a standard deduction works
Color me surprised.
t. accountant

If I had no income in 2017, can I still get a refund?

Nigger how the fuck would you get a refund if you didn't pay taxes in the first place.

No, your shit is fucked.

I bet the IRS laughs at this shit.
Hell it is even well known court law that ignorance of the law is not a defense against it.

But what really cracks me up is I learned how to do taxes before the internet had the info it does now. I mean come on. So many resources are out there that it is ridiculous to be so ill informed

How do the walfare mama's do it?

Ask your employer to have you fill out a new 2018 W-4 for this year now that you know you are earning more money. That is the only way to prevent owing money to the IRS when taxes are due.

Financially, it makes more sense to owe taxes instead of expect a refund; but for non-financially focused people, paying more withholdings each payroll and getting a refund each year FEELS BETTER than putting more money in your pocket each payday but having to write a check to pay taxes in the spring.

How do I find a good accountant and how much does it cost?