There may be expenses for your work on the follow through to obtain the unclaimed income. Examples of that could be mileage, postage, or any other actual expense you had to accomplish receipt of the income. Example of expenses that can be used:
- Court costs
- Accountants' fees,
- Appraisers' fees, etc.
- Cost of storing or maintaining property, including documentation of actions.
Simply adding your labor as a cost would not be sufficient as a deductible expense, however if you tie it to the details required to accomplish the results of receiving the income, then the estate can handle the entire return.
Amending a 2020 return would not be my advice since it's beyond the statute. The income was received in 2025. You can attach a statement of explanation for filing another final return in 2025.
If you remain unsure of how you want to handle it you should seek professional assistance for preparation. In this forum we cannot advise the actions you should take as far as distribution.
Beneficiaries receiving income from a trust or estate report that income (usually via Schedule K-1) but cannot deduct their personal labor.
@ron6612
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