My wife passed away in Canada last year. Do I still need to file tax as married or single?

[masroorhossain]

She did not have a SSN. Do you still need a SSN number for her?

[macuser_22 · Accepted solution]

I am sorry for your loss.   If she passed in 2016 then you can still file jointly for the maximum tax benefits.  If she was not a resident of the USA then you should print and mail your tax return and enter NRA in place of the SSN.

[masroorhossain]

Since she was in Canada and not in US with me for 2016, is filing as a single more appropriate for me than filing as married? If so, how can I change it in the software?

[macuser_22]

You cannot file single unless you were single as of December 31, 2016.   If you were married, your only choices are filing Married Filing Jointly with your deceased spouse, Married Filing Separately, or possible Head of Household if your spouse did not live with you for the last half of the year and you had a child dependent living with you.

[macuser_22]

For more information see IRS Pub 17 under "Spouse died during the year. "
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch02.html#en_US_2016_publink1000170746">https://www.irs.gov/pub...>

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"If your spouse died during the year, you are considered married for the whole year for filing status purposes.

  If you didn't remarry before the end of the tax year, you can file a joint return for yourself and your deceased spouse. For the next 2 years, you may be entitled to the special benefits described later under Qualifying Widow(er) With Dependent Child .

  If you remarried before the end of the tax year, you can file a joint return with your new spouse. Your deceased spouse's filing status is married filing separately for that year. "
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