EIN and final taxes after father passed - Do I need to file

[jtepmurt74]

Hi everyone,

My father passed last February 2024 (46 days into the new year) and I was helping my mother out as she was the executor but never managed any of their finances. In my haste, I went and registered for an EIUN for the estate assuming we would need to open probate. As it turned out, all the accounts were already joint, right of survivorship, or had a TOD in place. After consulting with a lawyer and reviewing all assets, we did not need to open probate. I now realize I still have the EIN number and am coming up to the May 2025 deadline with which they mentioned I need to file.

As there were no assets of "the estate," and I just did file a tax return for 2024 (which included both parents for the one month he was aline and did indicate he is now deceased), do I need to do anything else or can I just let the EIN go?

Thank you! 

[DianeW777 · Accepted solution]

No, you really don't need to do anything else. A Form 1041 is  not required since there is no income. You can just let it go, or you can file a blank form as first and final which would also cancel the EIN. No wrong decision as long as the estate has no income.