Who Doesn't Pay Federal Taxes?

46.4% of Households Paid No Federal Income Tax for 2011

  But Nearly Two-Thirds of Households
 That Paid No Income Tax Paid Payroll Taxes

Who Paid Neither Income Nor Payroll Taxes?

More than half are elderly

Over one-third are nonelderly with income under $20,000

Only about 1 in 20 is nonelderly with income over $20,000

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Further Information

Related TPC tables Tax Units that Pay No Individual Income Tax

TaxVox Posts

Bob Williams, "Who Pays No Income Tax?" (July 9, 2009)

Bob Williams, "Why So Few People Pay Income Tax" (February 25, 2010)

Howard Gleckman, "About Those 47 Percent Who Pay 'No Taxes.'" (April 15, 2010)

Howard Gleckman, "Should We Help Low Income Families With Tax Credits or Direct Subsidies?" (April 19, 2010)

Eric Toder, "Was Don Alexander Right: Should We Stop Using the IRS to Run Social Programs?" (April 19, 2010)

Elaine Maag, "Why We Run Subsidies through the Tax System" (April 19, 2010)

Bob Williams, "Who Pays No Income Tax?" (July 27, 2011)

Bob Williams, "Why Do People Pay No Federal Income Tax?" (September 18, 2012)

Howard Gleckman, "About the 47 Percent Who Don’t Pay Federal Income Tax: Mitt, Meet Andrea" (September 19, 2012)

Howard Gleckman, "A Modest Proposal: Five Ways to Tax the 47 Percent" (September 27, 2012)

Other

Roberton Williams, "Who Pays No Income Tax?" Tax Notes (June 29, 2009)

Roberton Williams, "Why Nearly Half of Americans Pay No Federal Income Tax" Tax Notes (June 9, 2010)

Eric Toder and Rachel Johnson, "Held Harmless by High Income Tax Rates?" Tax Notes (March 1, 2010)

Len Burman, "The Myth Of Income Tax Freeloading" Forbes (April 5, 2010)

Rachel Johnson, Jim Nunns, Jeff Rohaly, Eric Toder, and Roberton Williams, "Why Some Tax Units Pay No Income Tax" Research Report (July 27, 2011)

William Gale and Donald Marron, "Five Myths About the 47 Percent" Washington Post (September 25, 2012)