Taxpayers who want to know how to submit a deceased person’s tax return can get assistance from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
It’s possible that some people were hospitalized throughout the 2025 tax season and were unable to file in time.
Regretfully, some of them might have died. As a result, it’s critical that their spouse or adult children understand whether they need to submit a 2024 tax return.
In actuality, the IRS provides an interview to assist a taxpayer in figuring out how to file a decedent’s individual tax return in the US.
Make sure you have gathered all the necessary information before beginning this helpful online interview so you can answer all the questions and complete it.
Who is allowed to use this IRS tool?
In order to determine whether the deceased individual was required to submit a 2024 or 2025 tax return, the Internal Revenue Service cautions taxpayers that this tool was created for persons who were citizens or resident aliens of the United States for the whole year in question.
Remember that the conclusion will be inaccurate if the data you enter is inaccurate. Thus, the facts provided will serve as the foundation for these conclusions.
Therefore, the responses you receive from this tool do not amount to written advice.
The good news is that this interview only takes seven minutes, so you can finish it quickly. Once the interview has begun, you should never press the “Back” button as this will result in problems. To respond to these IRS inquiries, click the link at the bottom.
This IRS tool may ask you questions
First, after selecting the “Begin” option, you will need to select “Continue.”
The next step is to specify if you are inquiring about the tax return for the year of death or the tax return for the year before.
Choose:
- Death Year, or the year before the death year
- Click “Continue” after selecting one of these two alternatives. Additionally, the IRS will inquire as to whether you were required to file for the previous year.
The next inquiry will be about the dead person’s marital status. Give the decedent’s marital status as of December 31st of the year you want to know about.
Following that, you must indicate if the decedent’s tax return will result in a refund or an amount payable. Perhaps it is neither of them, or perhaps you are not sure.
Read Also: No May Payment Until the 28th If You Were Born on This Date — Here’s Why
The IRS will also ask you whether you want a joint return if the decedent was married. Of course, you should mention that there might be a surviving spouse.
Are you aware if a personal representative will be appointed by the court? Does the will contain any information on the representative? If you were able to respond to every question, you will then receive instructions.
