The answer to that question depends on whether you have income, and whether your parents will include that income on their returns.

If you can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return, you must file a tax return if your unearned income is more than $1,050 for 2016, or your earned income is more than the standard deduction for a single person, which is $6,300 for 2016.

If you cannot be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return, the threshold for filing is slightly higher, at $10,350 of earned and unearned income for 2016. Unearned income generally comes from interest, dividends, capital gains and royalties. Earned income comes from sources like wages and self-employment income.

Gifts are not considered income and are not taxed to the person receiving the gift. Scholarship income used for tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment required for enrollment is excluded from the income of college students seeking a degree, provided that no services are required in return. However, scholarship income used for room and board are taxable.

If you are required to file a tax return, you are probably qualified to have them filed for free through the IRS’ Free File program, or if you prefer to use a free income tax preparer, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA). VITA locations are posted annually.

On the Stetson campus, the VITA program is offered in partnership with the United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties and by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 p.m.- 8 p.m., and Fridays, noon – 2 p.m., from Feb. 2 to April 14 in the Lynn Business Center, 345 N. Woodland Blvd. For more information, call the United Way at 386-253-0564.

Valrie Chambers, Ph.D., professor of accounting, and Betty Thorne, Ph.D., professor of statistics and the Christian R. Lindback Chair of Business Administration, write Financial Fridays to bolster students’ financial wellness including preventing financial mistakes, safeguarding their assets and identity, and thinking critically about financial decisions. For questions, contact Valrie Chambers at [email protected].