My husband died in 2023, how do I use the history of previous returns but not have TurboTax ask questions about dead husband?

[xmasbaby0]

So sorry for your loss.

  For the year that your spouse passed away you could file a joint tax return.   But for 2024, unless you have a qualified dependent to claim, your filing status changes to Single.   It is best to start a new account with a new user ID.   It is too difficult to delete the embedded information from a spouse if you use the same account that was used for past joint returns.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/using-turbotax/help/how-do-i-start-another-return-in-turbotax-onli...

[MonikaK1]

If you are preparing a 2023 return that will be your husband's final return, TurboTax will need to know this and the date of death so that it's properly reported on the return and the IRS doesn't look for missing returns for him in the future. 

Please see this TurboTax tips article and this help article for more details regarding filing a return for a deceased person. In the Personal info section of TurboTax, a question appears asking if the person for whom the return is being filed has died. Check the box "passed away before filing this return".

Upon the death of a taxpayer, a new taxpaying entity—the taxpayer's estate—is born to make sure no taxable income falls through the cracks. Generally, income is taxed either:

• on the taxpayer's final return,
• on the return of the beneficiary who acquires the right to receive the income, or
• on the estate's or a trust's income tax return, if the estate or trust receives $600 or more of income.

The filing of the deceased taxpayer's final return usually falls to the executor or administrator of the estate, but if neither is named,  then the task needs to be taken over by a survivor of the deceased. The final return is filed on the same form that would have been used if the taxpayer were still alive, but "Deceased:" is written at the top of the return followed by the person's name and the date of death. The deadline to file a final return is the tax filing deadline of the year following the taxpayer's death.

Your future returns won't need to ask you these questions.

TurboTax only has the current year available on TurboTax Online.

To file a 2023 return, you would need one of the desktop download or CD products. See here for more information about available product versions for tax year 2023 if you don't already have one.

If you will be receiving a refund for 2023, the IRS will pay you interest on the refund. If you owe additional taxes for 2023, interest and a penalty for late filing will be assessed. See this IRS webpage for more information including how to request that the penalty be waived for reasonable cause.

I am sorry for your loss.