For your 2025 return, you should use the date your survivor benefits officially began. This is almost always the day after your spouse’s date of death.
When a retiree passes away and the benefit shifts to a survivor, the IRS treats this as a "new" annuity starting date for the purpose of calculating how much of the payment is taxable to you.
In tax terms, the annuity starting date is the first day of the first period for which you receive a payment.
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