@Ms-GAM wrote:
OK, I have the same issue, but we had NO dependents. Can WE get a straight answer, please.
You don't have a child. But if you did........
You can file a Joint return the year your spouse died. For the next two years following a husband's or wife's death, the surviving spouse can file as a qualifying widow or widower if they have a qualifying child. That basically lets you continue to use the same tax brackets that apply to married-filing-jointly returns. After the year of death if you don't have a child you file as Single.
See the eligibility rules on page 9 of IRS publication 501
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p501.pdf
See Turbo Tax help article
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/using-turbotax/help/how-should-i-file-my-return-if-my-spouse-recen...
