How do I know if I owe state or federal taxes?

Asked by: Viola Zboncak  |  Last update: May 25, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (3 votes)

Log in to your tax account on IRS.gov. Once you log in, you can access your tax records, make or view payments, see the amount you owe and view a breakdown of your liability by tax year.

How do I know what taxes I owe?

To find out how much you owe in taxes, you can call the IRS directly. The number to call is the IRS's toll-free general inquiry line at 1-800-829-1040. When you call, be prepared to provide your personal information, such as your Social Security number, to verify your identity.

How can I find out if I owe state tax?

To learn how much you owe, how to pay, when your return is due, information about refunds, and how to get tax relief:
  1. Find your local government's website for information about county or city taxes.
  2. Find your state's tax agency web page for information about state taxes.

What determines if you owe state taxes?

California requires both residents and nonresidents that receive income from a California source to pay taxes. The state does offer tax deductions and credits that enable taxpayers to reduce their liabilities.

How do I know if I have federal tax debt?

If you're unsure whether you owe money to the IRS, you can view your tax account information on IRS.gov.

State Income Tax vs. Federal Income Tax: What’s the Difference?

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How do I know if I will owe federal income tax?

If the standard deduction is larger than the sum of your itemized deductions (as it is for many taxpayers), you'll receive the standard deduction. Once you have subtracted deductions from your adjusted gross income, you have your taxable income. If your taxable income is zero, that means you do not owe any income tax.

Will I get my federal refund if I owe state taxes?

If you owe money to a federal or state agency, the federal government may use part or all of your federal tax refund to repay the debt. This is called a tax refund offset.

Do I pay federal and state income tax?

In addition to federal income taxes, many states require state income tax. Whether you have to file state taxes this tax year depends on a few factors. In some cases, you may not be required to file state taxes if you only lived in the state a short time or if your income is below a certain level.

Why do I owe state taxes but not federal?

Typically, you would owe state tax because there was not enough tax withheld from your paychecks to cover your liability for state tax. You might owe state taxes even when you owed nothing to the Federal government because Federal and state governments have different tax brackets.

How to get a $10,000 tax refund?

CAEITC
  1. Be 18 or older or have a qualifying child.
  2. Have earned income of at least $1.00 and not more than $30,000.
  3. Have a valid Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for yourself, your spouse, and any qualifying children.
  4. Living in California for more than half of the tax year.

Does IRS show state taxes owed?

This means that people in the following states do not need to report these state payments on their 2022 tax return: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

How do you know if you owe taxes or get a refund?

If you are receiving a tax refund, check its status using the IRS Where's My Refund tool. You can view the status of your refund for the past 3 tax years. If you owe money or are receiving a refund, you can check your return status by signing in to view your IRS online account information.

Will TurboTax tell me if I owe taxes?

You will either see Federal/State Refund in green if you are due a refund or if you owe taxes, you will see Federal/State Due in gray or red, to the left of the screen in the software.

Why do I owe taxes this year when nothing changed?

Common reasons include underpaying quarterly taxes if you're self-employed or not updating your withholding as a W-2 employee. You may also owe if you collected unemployment benefits, which are taxable.

How do I know if I have to pay taxes?

Not everyone is required to file or pay taxes. Depending on your age, filing status, and dependents, for the 2023 tax year, the gross income threshold for filing taxes is between $12,950 and $28,700. If you have self-employment income, you're required to report your income and file taxes if you make $400 or more.

How do I avoid owing federal taxes?

If you want to avoid a tax bill, check your withholding often and adjust it when your situation changes. Changes in your life, such as marriage, divorce, working a second job, running a side business, or receiving any other income without withholding can affect the amount of tax you owe.

What comes first, state or federal taxes?

The state return is not submitted until after the federal return is accepted. If your federal return is rejected the state return is not sent.

Can you still owe taxes if you claim 0?

The form includes your exemptions and allowances, which directly influence how much taxes are withheld. You may ask yourself, "do I claim 0 or 1 on my W4?" In theory, the fewer withholding allowances you claim, the less money you owe the IRS. Sometimes, though, you may claim 0 allowances on your W4 but still owe taxes.

Why do I owe federal but not state taxes?

Why do I owe federal taxes but get a state refund? Because taxes are different at a state and federal level, sometimes nonresidents find they can owe taxes at a federal level, but may be due a refund at their state level.

What happens if you don't file your taxes but don't owe anything?

Taxpayers who don't owe tax or are owed a refund

Taxpayers sometimes fail to file a tax return and claim a refund for these credits and others for which they may be eligible. There's no penalty for filing after the April 15 deadline if a refund is due.

Why am I only getting $100 back in taxes?

There are lots of reasons why this might happen. In most cases, the IRS takes part of your refund to pay for outstanding government debts you might owe. These include: Overdue federal tax debts.

How do I find out if my taxes will be offset?

Not all debts are subject to a tax refund offset. To determine whether an offset will occur on a debt owed (other than federal tax), contact BFS's TOP call center at 800-304-3107 (800-877-8339 for TTY/TDD help).

Does every state pay federal taxes?

Federal employment taxes generally apply to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and all U.S. Territories. For purposes of a Section 218 Agreement, a state includes the 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and interstate instrumentalities.