Do you have to pay taxes while you are in jail?

When you are convicted for a crime and are sentenced to spend some time in jail you are still considered a citizen, and still have the same rights and responsibilities as a normal person. That even includes taxes. Believe it or not, inmates are still able to receive an income while they spend time in jail for various reasons. Some reasons could be that you are an individual physically able to work at the prison in exchange for money. You may have had investments before your incarceration pay out in your favor while you were in jail. That would lead to a good chunk of income while in prison. Regardless of how you earn your income while in prison, you are required by law to still file your taxes, as long as the income amount is above a certain amount, depending on your marital status. The IRS issues a minimum amount of earned income that allows for people to pay their taxes. The amount for a single taxpayer is around $10,800, so you would need to earn more than that to be subjected to income tax.

Related Tax Questions

Is the federal income tax a progressive tax or a regressive tax?
A progressive tax is when the government imposes a tax code that allows them to charge higher taxes to those who have a lot of income, while charging a lower rate to those with a lower income. A regressive tax is when the complete opposite happens. The go... Read More
Do you pay state and federal taxes on worker's compensation?
If you happen to be injured while on the job, you are legally eligible for worker's compensation. Worker's compensation is the...... Read More
What does worker's comp pay out for an injury?
Injuries happen while you're on the job, most often with blue collar jobs that require manual labor in risky situations. When a worker...... Read More
What are the disadvantages of money?
Money has all of the advantages in the world, allowing us to buy what we need and want, while also providing us with a social...... Read More
Do you have to file taxes on an inheritance?
Does an individual who sells a used car have to pay taxes on the money collected for the sale of the
Nobody likes to pay taxes because it takes out a big chunk of our overall income, and it is just a hassle sometimes. In the case where...... Read More
Which states don't have state taxes?
Unfortunately, all 50 states have taxes in some way, shape, or form. Otherwise their governments will not be able to function without having any...... Read More
Do you have to pay taxes?
When and how was federal income tax introduced?
Taxes have been around for a long period of time. The first form of taxes came from Ancient Egypt as citizens had to pay with labor or...... Read More