How to File Taxes for a Deceased Person in TurboTax

To file taxes for a deceased person in TurboTax, open a separate TurboTax account for the decedent’s return (unless a surviving spouse is filing jointly), start the return normally, then check the box in the personal information section indicating the taxpayer has passed away and enter the date of death. If a refund is due and you’re not a surviving spouse or court-appointed representative, TurboTax will walk you through Form 1310. E-file if the software allows it; if the return is rejected, print and mail.

The steps below cover the setup, the software prompts, the signature and refund paperwork, and the rejection issues that force some decedent returns to paper.

Before You Start in TurboTax

Confirm you’re the right person to file. A surviving spouse can file a joint return for the year of death. A court-appointed executor or administrator has authority to file. If neither exists, the person in charge of the decedent’s property files and signs as “personal representative.”1IRS. Filing a Final Federal Tax Return for Someone Who Has Died

Before you try to e-file, make sure the Social Security Administration has been notified of the death. You can do this at socialsecurity.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213.2Intuit TurboTax. E-file a Tax Return for Someone Deceased The IRS matches its records against SSA data, and a mismatch is a common reason decedent returns get rejected.

You do not need to attach a death certificate to the federal return. Keep it in your records and produce it only if asked.1IRS. Filing a Final Federal Tax Return for Someone Who Has Died A court-appointed representative does need to attach the court certificate of appointment.3IRS. Request Deceased Person’s Information

Setting Up the TurboTax Account

TurboTax Online allows only one federal return per account per year. If you have already filed your own return in your TurboTax account, you cannot use the same account for the decedent’s return. Starting a second return in that account will overwrite the first one. Create a new account with a different username for the decedent’s filing.4Intuit TurboTax. How Do I File for a Deceased Person

If a surviving spouse is filing jointly, use the couple’s existing joint return account. There is no separate account needed in that case.

Marking the Return as a Decedent Filing

Start the return the way you would for any taxpayer. In TurboTax Online, go to the “My Info” section. Look for the option that reads something like “I am preparing this return for someone who has passed away,” check it, and enter the date of death.5Intuit TurboTax. How To File a Return for a Deceased Taxpayer The software handles the “Deceased” notation that would otherwise be written across the top of a paper Form 1040.6IRS. Signing the Return

If you’re filing a joint return with a deceased spouse, do not swap the order of the names to put the surviving spouse first. Changing the name order can cause processing delays. Leave the names as they’ve always appeared and check the box indicating the spouse has passed away.7Intuit TurboTax. Change Name Order on Joint Return With Deceased Spouse

Filing Status for the Year of Death

A married decedent is treated as married for the entire year of death, as long as the surviving spouse did not remarry before year-end. That usually means filing jointly produces the lowest tax. If the surviving spouse remarried in the same calendar year, the decedent’s return has to be filed as Married Filing Separately.1IRS. Filing a Final Federal Tax Return for Someone Who Has Died

For the two tax years following the year of death, the surviving spouse may qualify for Qualifying Surviving Spouse status, which keeps joint-return tax rates without being a joint return. It requires that the surviving spouse not have remarried, have a qualifying child or stepchild who lived with them for the full year, and have paid more than half the cost of maintaining the home.8Intuit. Claiming Qualified Surviving Spouse Filing Status TurboTax will offer this option in later years when you indicate a spouse died within the prior two tax years.

Signing the Return

Who signs, and how, depends on your role:

  • A surviving spouse filing jointly, with no court-appointed representative, signs the return and writes “filing as surviving spouse” in the signature area.
  • A surviving spouse filing jointly alongside a court-appointed representative signs the return; the representative signs it too.
  • A court-appointed representative with no surviving spouse signs and attaches the court certificate of appointment.
  • A personal representative who is not court-appointed and where there is no surviving spouse signs as “personal representative.”1IRS. Filing a Final Federal Tax Return for Someone Who Has Died

If you end up mailing the return, TurboTax prints “Deceased” on the taxpayer’s signature line. You sign your own name in the role that applies and attach any court documents.9Intuit TurboTax. How Do I File for a Deceased Parent

Claiming a Refund and Completing Form 1310

Whether Form 1310 is required depends on who’s filing:

When a refund is due, TurboTax prompts for Form 1310 during the interview. In TurboTax Desktop, you can also search for “form 1310” and use the Jump To link to open the form directly. On the “Complete a claim for refund” screen, select Yes and follow the prompts.11Intuit TurboTax. File Form 1310 in TurboTax

Part I of Form 1310 identifies your category: surviving spouse requesting a reissued check, court-appointed representative on an amended return, or other person. Part II is required only for the “other person” category and asks whether a will exists and whether a personal representative has been or will be appointed. Part III is the signature. If you’re in the “other person” category, keep the death certificate in your records; do not attach it.10IRS. Form 1310, Statement of Person Claiming Refund Due a Deceased Taxpayer

E-Filing vs. Paper Filing

The IRS allows decedent returns to be e-filed, and TurboTax supports it.6IRS. Signing the Return Whether a return that includes Form 1310 can be e-filed depends on the specific entries; TurboTax’s review will tell you if paper filing is required.12Intuit. Filing a Return for a Deceased Taxpayer Electronically

Handling E-File Rejections

Decedent returns are often rejected with code IND-031-03 (taxpayer is deceased) or IND-032-03 (spouse is deceased). These usually mean the prior-year information entered during the e-file process does not match IRS records, which can happen even when the data looks correct.13TaxAct. IRS Rejections IND-031-03 and IND-032-03 With Deceased Taxpayer or Spouse

Try entering “0” for the deceased person’s prior-year adjusted gross income and prior-year PIN, then resubmit. If the return is still rejected, you’ll need to print and mail it. The IRS treats a mailed return as timely if you write “Rejected Electronic Return” and the rejection date in red at the top of the first page, include a copy of the rejection notice, and mail the return within 10 calendar days of the rejection.14IRS. Age, Name, or SSN Rejects, Errors, Correction Procedures

State Returns

If the decedent was required to file a state return, a state filing is generally needed alongside the federal one. State rules vary. Virginia requires a state return whenever a federal return is filed, using the same filing status; a court-appointed representative attaches the court certificate, and a non-court-appointed filer claiming a refund may need to include both Form 1310 and a copy of the death certificate.15Virginia Department of Taxation. Deceased Individuals Ohio requires checking the “If deceased” box on the IT 1040 and, for some filing statuses, requires paper filing.16Ohio Department of Taxation. Filing a Return for a Deceased Taxpayer TurboTax notifies you during the state portion whether your state allows e-filing of decedent returns.2Intuit TurboTax. E-file a Tax Return for Someone Deceased

What Income Belongs on the Final Return

The final Form 1040 covers January 1 through the date of death. What you include depends on the decedent’s accounting method. Most individuals use the cash method: report income actually received before death and deduct expenses actually paid before death.17California Franchise Tax Board. Deceased Person

A common wrinkle is a Form 1099 issued in the decedent’s name that includes amounts actually received after death. Report the full 1099 amount on the decedent’s return, then subtract the portion belonging to someone else and label it a “Nominee Distribution.”18IRS. Publication 559, Survivors, Executors, and Administrators

The standard deductions and credits available to individuals still apply. The decedent can take the standard deduction or itemize and can claim the earned income credit, child tax credit, and other credits they’d have been eligible for.19IRS. Publication 559, Survivors, Executors, and Administrators Medical expenses have a timing option: bills paid by the estate within one year after death can be treated as if the decedent paid them at the time of service and deducted on the final Form 1040, if you attach a statement saying the expenses have not been and will not be claimed on the estate tax return.20IRS. Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses

The final 1040 is separate from the estate’s income tax return. Income generated by estate assets after death (interest, dividends, rental income) goes on Form 1041, which is required if the estate produces more than $600 in annual gross income and uses the estate’s own EIN rather than the decedent’s Social Security number.21IRS. File an Estate Tax Income Tax Return TurboTax’s consumer products handle the final individual return; the estate’s Form 1041 is a separate filing.

Deadlines

The final return is due on the same date it would be due for a living taxpayer, generally April 15 of the year following death. A decedent who died in 2025 has a final return due by the April 2026 filing deadline.1IRS. Filing a Final Federal Tax Return for Someone Who Has Died The surviving spouse or personal representative can request an extension the same way any individual filer would.22IRS. How To File a Final Tax Return for Someone Who Has Passed Away