I'm completely confused about taxes. I've never filed before because I've always been a student and claimed as a dependent by my mom. The only jobs I've ever had have been work-study jobs, federally or state funded. I haven't ever filled out W2s or tax forms or had deductions taken from my paychecks for these jobs. It seems like once a year, I receive tax forms about my tuition, I guess for people that do work and select that tuition exemption (I warned you, I'm clueless about all things tax-related). I started dancing in August of 2011, but my mom is still going to claim me as a dependent for 2011 (she's super poor and relies heavily on her tax return as a part of her income). I was a student for all of 2011. I made about $12k from dancing in 2011, most of it went straight to my savings account (I want to pay off my student loans [$10k] in one swoop when my grace period ends in June of 2012). I kept precise records of how much I made, and what I spent on work expenses (including receipts).
So, what forms do I need? Do I even need to file taxes, since I don't even exist in the IRS world yet? I know that's a bad idea... I guess I'm joking about that. How much should I expect to have to pay? Will my mom still be able to claim me as a dependent if I file and claim an income greater than her own? I really don't want to screw up my mom's tax return. How does being a student play into this? Does my bank report the money I deposit to the IRS? I don't understand any of it...



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