Tax Year Prior to 2020: My husband died last year. My return keeps getting rejected with a AGI erro. The amount listed is correct. Are paper returns required the year after a spouse died?

[racer_x_9]

Every year I file taxes with turbo tax for my inlaws.  My father-in-law passed in 2019 and the return was rejected with IND-031-04.

I read a forum from last year where the solution was to put the surviving spouse name first.  As soon as I did this it was accepted.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/taxes/discussion/rejected-2019-return-based-on-my-deceased-spouse-...

Others from last year reported that submitting on Freetaxusa.com they efiled and it was accepted.  I don't know why the problem is happening with turbo tax.   Seems like they should fix the problem if there were 13 pages last year with multiple people having the same problem.  Try putting the living spouses name first and report if the return was accepted so others will know.  Good luck all!

[leahbeth]

Just wanted to thank the previous poster who suggested switching my name to be the primary instead of my spouse.  It worked!  And I had tried every other possible suggestion mentioned in this thread.  Sigh...yet another hoop I've had to jump through after losing my husband last March.

[vbatt]

I do my parents taxes (married filing jointly) each year with TT.  My dad passed away in 2020 and I too was also getting the same error for AGI or Pin incorrect and getting rejected. My dad was always listed first when using the software.   I flipped it around so my mom was listed first in the personal info area, making sure to check that my dad died and the correct date of death. Also make sure birthdate for each person is correct. Along with that i had to change the 1099R and SSA information since the values had to match the correct person.  When submitting, I entered the AGI from the previous year,  entered my mom's 5 digit PIN, submitted and was accepted!!!! WOOHOO!!! 

[suec2525]

I encountered the same error...3 bad attempts with accurate info. This solved my problem: I re-worked my federal return and made myself "TAXPAYER" and my deceased husband "SPOUSE".  I had to go through the whole return because certain income and deductions needed to be "flipped" as well.  It was certainly better than printing off my very lengthy return (31 pages) and mailing it! Return was accepted first time out! I hope this helps!

[eerickso1464]

Same here. It is just insane and completely unacceptable that the TurboTax “experts” cannot resolve this. 

[shesgotlegs57]

Agreed and TT needs to fix this issue that has been going on for years.   Shameful to know this and do nothing. 

[SweetieJean]

It is likely more of an IRS problem, as the IRS keeps its records by the SSN of the Taxpayer (the first person listed on the return). Thus, reject code  IND-901 says: The Primary SSN in the Return Header has been locked because Social Security Administration records indicate the number belongs to a deceased individual.

[dianar1]

I am having a similar issue as my Mom passed away 08/06/2019 and I filed a return for her.  I am trying to file her 2020 tax return and turbo tax tells me to "Please enter a passed date in 2020" and does not let me proceed!!!  How can I over ride this and am I in fact required to file a 2020 return for her?  Please advise.

[ThomasM125]

@dianar1 You can only file an individual tax return for a deceased person for the year that they died. In the next year, you need to file an estate tax return to report the deceased individual's income if it is over $600. 

[dianar1]

Thank you...so I will need to get an estate tax number...is that correct?

[shaniko]

Yes, the same thing happened to me this year--2020. My husband died in August. I paid to have tax returns sent electronically and tried sending them again to no avail. I finally printed them and sent them on February 16, 2021. It is now May 9 and I still have not received my refund although when I check the IRS it shows they have them.

[dianalarose]

But what if YOU were always the primary taxpayer when filing jointly? That was my situation when my husband died, and my return was rejected even though I used the correct AGI. I tried using zero, as suggested by some people, but no soap. Finally, I used a different software program to electronically file exactly the same information, and my return was accepted by the IRS within minutes.  And my refund was deposited less than 2 weeks later.
Obviously, the IRS did not cause the problem!

[Jack_N_Atlanta]

There is a glare in the system.  I have the same problem and my 2019 return is in Utah Service Center limbo.  If your spouse dies BEFORE the filing date, then most likely you filed a joint return since you were married for the tax year you are filing.  I.e., spouse dies 3/2/2020, and you are filing 2019.  If this happens, then a joint bank account is no longer considered viable.  When you check the box saying that your spouse is deceased in the beginning of the program, a paper copy of the 1040 will have written across the top: "Spouses name - deceased <date>".  I'm assuming there is away for the electronic version to do the same.  If you don't do that, then you might get a letter 12C in the mail asking for the date of death.  The IRS checks the status of the SSNs before sending out a check under two names.  The death certificate is processed pretty quickly (to stop SSA payments most likely) and the IRS will abort sending the check if a SSN comes up as deceased.  It is quite possible that your return has never been fully accepted by the IRS.  The best way to check is establish an IRS account and look at the transcripts.  You also can not file a 1040X for this problem, at least using TurboTax.  The reason for the amendment is written across the top of the tax form where the deceased message would have been.  I.e., only one message can be written across the top of the tax form, you can't amend a tax return adding the deceased status because that will create two messages across the top of the tax form: the deceased, and the reason for the amendment.   If the death is after the filing date, then in theory a refund would be coming back to a valid joint bank account.  This isn't always true because of extensions.  Really if your spouse dies almost any time of the year except maybe November and December, the possibility for this problem to come up is present.  For the IRS, the problem is that if your spouse dies between the time the return was filed and the time they send a refund, the refund could get rejected by the bank.  Most likely they would either send you a notice or a paper check.  Then of course you will have to figure out what to do with the paper check that can only be endorsed by one person.

[dianalarose]

<<<Then of course you will have to figure out what to do with the paper check that can only be endorsed by one person.

Simple solution: go to an ATM instread of a human bank teller. I received several checks that were either to me and my deceased husband or just to him. The money was legally mine, so I signed my name on the back, deposited in an ATM, and never had any trouble. 

[kenny13]

Can I file a joint return when my spouse died December 24 2022. Her death would be noted on the return