"Essay" question: Your friend Alice is a full-time college student, earned $4,000 working at the campus bookstore over two semesters last calendar year, and also got a part-time job as a cashier in February, earning $9,500. Alice knows that you have been learning about taxes in your personal finance lessons and asks you, “Do I need to file taxes this year? If I do, what is the process like?”
Determine if Alice needs to file taxes this year and explain your reasoning.
If you conclude that Alice does need to pay taxes, explain what forms she will need, what the deadlines are, and what method you recommend she use to file her taxes.