<prompt> Human: Hello everyone. This is a throwaway obviously because I didnt want any personal information about this situation to be linked to my personal reddit. So basically, Im 17 years old and Ive been working at the same job since January of 2017. I earned about 6,000 for the year its a part time job and I did the math and I should be eligible for a tax return of about 550. Upon asking my mother about the matter, she disregards it and wont tell me why I cant file. I simply want my money that I feel that I am rightfully entitled to. AFAIK, she claims me on her taxes. Is there any reason that she wont let file? Would it negatively impact her or something? I got my W2 from my job and she basically said theres a reason you cant file, can you trust me? However, she wont elaborate on what that reason is. Being a kid, I dont really know much about taxes or finance. I never learned about any of that prior to graduating high school so forgive me if I sound ignorant to the matter or if Im asking stupid questions. Thanks in advance for your help.  <response>: Your mother cant actually stop you from filing.Theres a couple possibilities. She may be way behind, in which case she is worried your filing will put scrutiny on her. If this is the reason, it is unlikely you will get her to budge.She may not understand the rules regarding your dependent status. You are probably a dependent for tax purposes. She will have your personal exemption but not your standard deduction which will reduce her taxes. There may be other credits which she is eligible for due to your dependent status. Your filing does not mean that she cannot still claim you as a dependent. She may not understand that, and she may think that if you file, she is unable to claim related exemptions and credits. In fact, if you can be claimed as a dependent which you almost certainly can, you cannot claim your personal exemption and many other credits. Only the person she who can claim the dependent can. If this is the reason, you can give her the facts, and she should have no further objection. 