Recently deceased Spouse - Impact on Taxes

wbleickardt — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 06:50:43 GMT

Since my wife passed away recently, how does that reflect on my income taxes? In particular, I assume I can still file a joint return early next year, and can I still use the standard deduction for BOTH of us? This will determine whether IRMAA extra charges on Medicare premiums may kick in. (We are/were both over 65).

Re: Recently deceased Spouse - Impact on Taxes

DavidT0202 — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 21:46:44 GMT

Hi @wbleickardt

I am sorry to hear about your loss.

The IRS has special rules for widows/widowers. In the year your spouse passed, you can still file a joint return getting the full standard deductions. After that you will file as a Qualified Widow if you qualify under the rules found HERE.

Your best filing status depends on your situation:

If your spouse was still alive as of December 31, 2022, file your 2022 return jointly with your late spouse
If your spouse died in 2022, file jointly with your late spouse unless you remarried in 2022
- In that case, file a joint return with your new spouse and file your deceased spouse's return as Married Filing Separately
If your spouse died in 2020 or 2021, you didn't remarry in 2022, and you have a child that meets certain qualifications, you might be able to file as a Qualifying Surviving Spouse, which has certain tax advantages
- When you go through the Personal Info section in TurboTax, we'll determine if you meet those requirements

Thank you for using TurboTax!

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Recently deceased Spouse - Impact on Taxes

Re: Recently deceased Spouse - Impact on Taxes