Wife died in 2020, & I received letter from "State of Maryland Letters of Administration of a Small Estate". The letter certifies that the estate of Jane Doe (my wife) was granted to John Doe (me, husband) as Personal Representative 5th day of Aug 2021. A check mark is next to "Unprobated Will - Probate not required", per the Register of Wills.
Here is where it gets real sticky: on the second page (which I'm not certain arrived together) is a Letter from IRS [Form SS-4] addressed to Jane Doe Estate and John Doe Per Rep. It states "Thank you for applying for an E.I.N. (although I didn't ask for it). This EIN will will identify your estate or trust. When filing tax documents it is very important that you use your EIN & complete name & address exactly as shown above."
"Any variation may cause a delay in processing".
{This contradicts the answers received from the Community, which told me NOT to put any abbreviation or title next to our names. In addition some of you said do NOT E-file, some said E-file should work fine. The IRS already has a Death Certificate on file, so I don't see any reason that her SS # would be locked out, knowing she lived through most of 2020.}
There's a phone # to call but the menu is of no use in answering 1-"Do I need to use this EIN in TurboTax?
2- If so, HOW/WHERE to write it?
3- Is this EIN for my deceased wife, or for me, or for both?" My wife & I were retired, so no W-2's, just SSA income.
I'm sorry to throw this out into your laps, as its complicated and probably requires a bit of legal knowledge.
--- THANK YOU in advance for any help you can provide.
