Why sign in to the Community?

  • Submit a question
  • Check your notifications
Sign in to the Community or Sign in to TurboTax and start working on your taxes
New Member
posted Jun 4, 2019 9:44:48 PM

How should I file my husband taxes, since he died 6/30/2017 and he used to file single separate and I file single.

0 4 631
1 Best answer
Level 15
Jun 4, 2019 9:44:49 PM

So sorry for your loss.  For the tax year in which your spouse died, you are allowed to file a married filing jointly return.  You need to indicate on it that your spouse passed away in Personal Info.  By filing a joint return, you would get the personal exemptions for each of you and the married filing jointly standard deduction of $12,700.  all of your itemized deductions  (if any) would then go on that joint return.

In Personal Info  the question of whether your spouse passed away will come up on the screen that says "Do Any of These Apply to [name]? "  

Note:  You must have meant you were filing married filing separately in the past, I hope, since if you were married you could not file as single.

4 Replies
Level 15
Jun 4, 2019 9:44:49 PM

So sorry for your loss.  For the tax year in which your spouse died, you are allowed to file a married filing jointly return.  You need to indicate on it that your spouse passed away in Personal Info.  By filing a joint return, you would get the personal exemptions for each of you and the married filing jointly standard deduction of $12,700.  all of your itemized deductions  (if any) would then go on that joint return.

In Personal Info  the question of whether your spouse passed away will come up on the screen that says "Do Any of These Apply to [name]? "  

Note:  You must have meant you were filing married filing separately in the past, I hope, since if you were married you could not file as single.

Level 15
Jun 4, 2019 9:44:50 PM

Do you have any dependent children?

Level 15
Jun 4, 2019 9:44:52 PM

"he used to file single separate and I file single."
That is not allowed unless you were legally separated all those years.

Level 15
Jun 4, 2019 9:45:20 PM

Do you mean he filed as Married Filing Separately (and you did too)?  You can not file Single if you were married even if you were separated.