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Get your taxes done using TurboTax
Very sorry for your loss. If your spouse was still alive as of December 31, 2016, you should file your 2016 return jointly with your late spouse.
If your spouse died in 2016, you should also file jointly with your late spouse unless you remarried in 2016. In that case, you'd file a joint return with your new spouse and file your deceased spouse's return as Married Filing Separately.
If your spouse died in 2014 or 2015, you didn't remarry in 2016, and you have a dependent child, you might be able to file as a Qualifying Widow(er) which has certain tax advantages. When you go through the Personal Info section in TurboTax, we'll ask a series of questions to determine if you meet those requirements.
There's no reason to change the name order on a joint return filed with a deceased spouse. When you enter or review his or her info, just make sure you check Passed away before filing this return and enter the date of passing.
Changing the name order is not necessary and may cause delays in processing your tax return.