I remember that if I don't owe tax, I don't need to file, though filing is recommended. Is that still true? I'm asking because IRS sent me a letter saying I must file.
I'm filing because I can get refund. I just wonder if it's still true that I don't need to file if I don't owe tax.
You remember incorrectly; it's not true and never has been. Filing requirement is based on filing status, age, and income.
You maybe right. But on the link you provided, there is an income requirement, above which one must file. That seems to imply that one doesn't have to file if one's income is lower than the requirement.
I have also just found the following passage on CNN:
"Other people may have missed out on the stimulus payment altogether. Those with incomes so low they don't have to file taxes may have never received their payment because the Internal Revenue Service did not have their information."
Repeated from my original response:
Filing requirement is based on filing status, age, and INCOME [emphasis added].
According to Jerry Salinsky snipped-for-privacy@do-no-send.com:
Hey, he said "and income."
I suppose if your income is so low that you don't need to file, you don't need to file, but if your income is that low, it is fairly likely you qualify for a refund or even a credit. On that IRS web page, scroll down to the section "Who Should File".
Also, if your income is that low, there are a bunch of free file options that are actually free, so why not.
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