I got an rejection error code of IND-941-01 which seems to refer to my wife's SS # is locked, as she has passed. is my only recourse to file by mail?

[DMarkM1]

Possibly, but try this first.  Go to the "Personal Info" section and "Edit" the filing status topic.  Select "Widowed".  Then "Edit" your spouse's information there as well to re-enter her information. 

Another route is to file as married filing separately.  If the results (tax due or refund) are the same, then file that way.  If your spouse had taxable income over $12,400 for the year, you would need to file a separate return for her as well.  However, that would probably be rejected and need to be mailed as well. 

If you continue to get a rejection.  You should print, sign and mail the returns. 

[asgilbert]

I am trying to file my Mother's taxes for 2020.  My Father passed away on 1/1/2020.  Acoording to Turbo Tax we can still file as Married filing Jointly.  We have tried to do so 3 times but have been rejected each time since my Father's Social Security number is flagged as being for a deceased individual.  We have set my Mother's filing status to Widow (which she was at the end of 2020) - she has not remarried.  Should we just redo the taxes as a qualifying Widow?

[Cynthiad66]

I'm sorry for your loss! 

While a paper return is not required the year after a spouse dies, it usually turns out that way.  Either the IRS doesn't recognize the AGI from the previous year, or Social Security Administration freezes the deceased person's SSN.

You should print and mail in the return. Per @Irene2805

[carscjc]

MY Income taxes for  EFile 2020 has been rejected THREE times with no help from TurboTax except to call SS office which I did.  I called Alabama first (The phone # on the TTax rejection message),  The agent at SS in Alabama said he never heard of a SS# being locked & advised me to call our local SS in Houston.  That Houston agent, too, said he'd never heard of such a thing as a "locked" social security #. He looked up my spouse's SS # and said all looked normal for a deceased individual  and it was NOT "locked". My husbands aunt passed in 2019, and my husband filed her final return in Jan, 2020. It was Efiled by TTax with NO PROBLEM. My husband also prepared and Efiled for his widowed father and his deceased wife 5 yrs ago. NO problem there either. I've read elsewhere in these posts that there seems to be  a glitch in Turbotax, and that others have Efiled thru other tax programs sucessfully after Efiling was rejected thru TTax. 

[schmidtl4]

Just adding my 2c. 

I wish TurboTax was taking a more proactive stance here.  Just trying again with a few tweaks here and there, crossing fingers, and hoping it works - which it sometimes does and sometimes doesn't  - is not a good customer service response.  The "check the 'widower' filing status" advice is bad advice as you can't even begin to qualify for that status until the tax year AFTER the spouse dies.  And if you even try to do it that way for the taxable year the spouse was deceased, Turbo Tax forces you to file MFJ (assuming both names are on the return).  In my case, I'm helping my Dad file his 1040-SR and it is about as straight forward a return as can be, but TurboTax is reporting that IRS is rejecting the return.  Let's get going TurboTax.  Get with the IRS and figure out what the problem is and fix it!

[CharlesL]

I tried editing, per your first suggestion (changing "married" to "widowed") and my e-filing was rejected a second time.

Didn't want to jump through the hoops of filing two people separately, so I'll just file via snail-mail and reconsider whether TurboTax cares enough about their customers that they deserve my business.

Given Intuit refuses to do anything about the problem their software has, the TurboTax "we're sorry about your dead spouse" boilerplate condolences (when you click that box) are at best worthless--at worst, outright offensive.

I mean...they actually gather all that information and verify it with you!

I don't need their condolences, I just need their software to work.