<human>: Well, admittedly my question isn't a simple as the title. I turned 18 last May, and I'll be 19 this May (Duh). I don't know much about how taxes work or anything, since I've obviously never had to file for them, my parents have.

So just some more info on my situation and why I have a question. When i turned 14 and a half, I got my first job over the summer. Completely legit, work permits, paychecks and everything. I earned about $1800 the first summer, earning $1200 the following summer, and just under $1500 the after that. I also worked another summer after that, but only made around $500. I got paychecks, and on the stubs I had money reduced for State and Federal taxes, just like everyone else.

No, I'm a college student, and I don't have a job. I am on financial aid, and my family is low-income (thus me working at 14).

So, my question is do I have to file for taxes? I know that my parents filed me as a dependent before, but since last year they received no money for me. So, is it better for them to continue filing me as a dependent?

But most importantly, what happens to that money they took from my paychecks?

I apologize if this question has been asked before, but I couldn't find any posts similar to my question. Also, I'm sorry If my questions are naive, I should probably learn about taxes sooner than later.

Thanks in advance!

Could you distill the essence of the text into 1-3 sentences?
<bot>: I made about $5000 as a minor, and I'm now an adult. Do I file for taxes, or do my parents do it? And what happens to that money? Will I ever get it back?