At what point do you start paying the government on taxes?

I am curious as to what it takes to have to end up owing the government during tax season.... It's somethig I have recently started thinking about. I am 23 yrs old. making almost 2'x as much as i have in the past 6 years that I have been working, claim myslef and I pay for my own my schooling... do I qualify? I hope not.

If your income for the year is over $8450, then you are required to file, and will very possibly owe something. If your income is from self-employment, 1099-misc not W-2, the limit is $400.

If you could still be claimed as a dependent, then the limit would be $5450.

Those numbers are for 2006 returns. Limits go up a little every year.

You are most likely already paying taxes through your paycheck withholding every pay day. We tend to forget that we pay federal taxes all through the year. April 15th is just the day when we kind of settle up with what we either overpaid through the previous year or underpaid. A lot of people overpay the government through the year and let them use our money without any interest. Each year you should re-evaluate how much money you are having withheld from your paycheck for federal income taxes. Adjust it as necessary on the W-4 form to prevent over or under paying and you will not have a problem. If you are self-employed you have a similar situation and should be paying estimated taxes through the year.

So to answer your question...it really just depends on how well you are withholding your taxes during the year.