My spouse is deceased, he has a 1099 and will owe what is the best way to file?

[SeanE1 · Accepted solution]

Please accept my condolences for the loss of your husband!  As far as filing status, if your husband died any time in 2016, I would file as married filing jointly because of the tax benefits.  However, if you need to file as married filing separately for some reason, just file his return like you would if you were filing for yourself.

Either way you decide, there will be a question in the Personal Info tab at the top of your screen that asks "Did any of these apply to your husband?, and you would put a check next to "Passed away in 2016" (See below), and the program will register that this return is for a deceased person.  You would then go through the rest of the questions and add the 1099 to the return.

Did any of these apply to your husband?

Was disabled

Passed away in 2016

We’re very sorry for your loss. Our sincerest condolences.

Unfortunately, there are still a few things we have to ask about your son, including the date he passed away. Please know we're asking only what's necessary for your return.

Date passed away

mm/dd/yyyy

None of these applied.