Known as “Tax Day,” April 15 is typically the deadline for tax returns to be filed to the state and federal government. This year, however, April 15 is a District of Columbia holiday, so the federal government has estended the tax deadline to April 18.

 Usually, we think of parents or adults with full- time jobs filing taxes, but many students with part-time jobs should file tax returns as well.

Personal Finance teacher Alison Harris said for those who work or earn income, it’s required by law to pay taxes.

“If you receive a paycheck from a part- time job, the company will take taxes from your pay. If you make over a certain amount in a given year, you have to file an income tax form and pay taxes on the appropriate amount,” Harris said.

According to Harris, it’s not a requirement for individuals who make less than $9,350 a year to file a tax return. To find out the amount of money you earned, view the W-4 form you received from your employer  in January. Even though a tax return is not required, it’s still an option that holds a benefit.

She said, “If you only earn a small amount of money from your job, federal income taxes were taken out of that. You would still be due a refund (probably small) and can only get this refund if you file a tax return.”

Harris said the free online software, Turbo Tax, is perfect for teens because its easy step by step process which can be updated yearly. The return will be transferred digitally.

To file on paper, Harris said, “Teens wanting to fill out a form and mail it, will probably be using the form 1040EZ.”

The form can be downloaded from IRS.gov. In this case, the return will be mailed back.

Senior Lauren Ceresia, who works for Papa Murphy’s, was unaware that part-time jobs qualified for a tax return.

“I’m not surprised because part-time jobs can earn significant money, but I just had no idea we could file taxes,” she said.

Ceresia plans to ask her parents for help with the filing process.

“Now that I know that I’m eligible for a tax return, I’ll definitely ask my parents for help with getting it,” Ceresia said.

Senior Jillian Kirwin said she is aware that her jobs at Olive Garden and Lifetime Fitness entitle her to a tax return and she has already filed her taxes.

“I did it myself because my dad had taught me how to do it before using Turbo Tax, which made filing easy,” Kirwin said.

Although Kirwin only received  $5 from her tax return, she doesn’t believe filing her taxes was a waste of time.

“It was a lot of time for so little reward, but I’m glad I did it. I’ll need to know how to file taxes for the rest of my life, so it was good practice,” Kirwin said.

For more information on taxes, refunds, and the filing process, visit http://www.irs.gov/individuals/index.html.