Rejected 2019 return based on my deceased spouse's agi

[Scorp2017]

Dear TurboTax Community,

      I filed my 2019 return and just received a rejected notice for both Federal and State based on my deceased wife's AGI, which is the correct number from our 2018 Married Filing Jointly Return. I asked for my 2018 transcript and it matches. I have read all the previous forums pertaining to rejections based on AGI and deceased spouses. I do not feel things are clear cut answers. Here are my questions:

1)  Am I able to efile a married filing jointly tax return if my wife passed away March of last year?  I've seen conflicting answers - some say they have talked to supervisors at the IRS who say you have to submit a paper return and others who say you can efile.

2) If the AGI matches our 2018 return, and by the way she was a homemaker all of our life together, I know it is the same AGI for both of us - it matches my transcript but I did not try to pull her transcript. I saw an answer that said I could use our self selected pin from our 2018 efile. I have tried to file the directions but can't seem to find the area in TurboTax to say use my pin instead of AGI. However, I also saw answers that say the IRS doesn't accept the pin as an identifier anymore, which may be why I can't find it.  Who is correct?

I hope to receive a clear cut answer to each question. At this point I am so frustrated, I'm ready to just print the darn thing and send it in, only to lose out on the money I paid.

[MayaD]

Yes, if your wife passed away in 2019, you can file a joint return. 

You wife AGI is the same as yours if you filed Married filing jointly in 2018. You can't use the PIN instead of the AGI. 

If the AGI from Form 1040 line 7 was rejected and you confirmed the number with the IRS, your only other option is to print and mail in your return.

[Scorp2017]

Thank you MayaD for such a clear cut answer. I have printed my returns and sent them. I gave a thumbs up the same day but I don't think it registered.

[HjeAve]

I've had the exact same thing happen.  I file my parent's tax returns and my dad passed away in 2019.  Tried yesterday to submit my Mom's (married filing jointly) return three times and all three times I got the error message:  IND-031-04 The primary taxpayer's AGI or self-select PIN from last year does not match IRS records.  The 2018 AGI in Turbo Tax is correct.  I have always filed their returns electronically using Turbo Tax so I'm not sure how the IRS could have a different 2018 AGI than what I have in Turbo Tax that was submitted to the IRS last year. Seems to me that maybe what is being passed from Turbo Tax to the federal government (during the eFiling process) is maybe missing one or more fields for the deceased taxpayer.  As you go through the review steps prior to submitting, never does Turbo Tax ask for the self-select PIN of the deceased person - just the surviving spouse.  I checked the underlying worksheet in Turbo Tax and made sure the prior year PIN numbers are there and they are.  With a number of people encountering the same problem, I'm hoping Turbo Tax will take a look to see if there is a programming problem.  This is very frustrating.  

[TheSoundOfMusic]

My condolences to the passing of your wife. I am having the same issue. This is more than likely due to an error by Turbotax e-filing a Married Filing Jointly tax return with a deceased spouse because the input AGI is not being detected by the e-file system. Some say that you can change the AGI to $0, but that did not work in my case and probably will not work for anyone else's until Turbotax fixes the issue. 

[gns]

Folks,

I have the same issue. My mother-in-law’s 2019 efile is reject based on an incorrect AGI from last year's return. My father-in-law passed away in April 2019. I double checked their filing jointly 2018 return and the AGI is correct. We tried submitting twice. No luck. We even tried an AGI of zero, thinking possibly it was trying to match an AGI figure to my mother-in-laws SS number that might not no longer be linked to her late husband. No luck either.  

[CatinaT1]

Unfortunately, your only option may be to print and mail in your return. 

This article will give you instruction on how to print and mail your return.

[Rocky Raccoon]

Same thing happened to me - very irritating that TurboTax can't fix this.  Filed joint return every year, including for 2019.  Wife passed away in early 2019 but still filing join return.  AGI number from 2018 is correct.  Also rejected my state return because they won't accept that unless federal is accepted and I paid to submit that one on-line.  So I guess the only solution is to mail in both!  Based on comments they've had this issue for years - needs to be fixed.  And there is no way I can see to correspond with an actual turbotax person.  AARG!

[Maya B]

Thank you for the advice.  At least I know that it's not just me.  I'm filing the tax return for my parents, and my dad passed in March 2019.  The 2018 AGI is correct, but the efile keeps getting rejected.  Very frustrating.  I will be paper filing both returns!

[CartMart]

I'm in the same boat - this is something that TurboTax needs to fix!  Paper filing is not an easy option, since they live in another state - it would be MUCH MORE complicated!! I file my parent's tax returns, and have done so with TurboTax for many years. My dad recently passed away.  Tried to submit my Mom's (married filing jointly) return two times and both times I got the same error message as others about a mismatched AGI or self-select PIN. I have always filed their returns electronically using TurboTax and I verified the AGI is correct. I suspect as others have that what is being passed from Turbo Tax to the federal government (during the eFiling process) is missing the PIN or another field for the deceased taxpayer.  TurboTax never asked for the self-select PIN of the deceased person - just the surviving spouse.  This is very frustrating and needs to be fixed. Just replying that we need to file a paper copy is not acceptable.

[casiphia]

I also tried with H&R Block and was rejected for same reason so it's not Turbo Taxes programing.

[casiphia]

Also tried with H&R Block and was rejected for same reason so it's not Turbo Tax issues.

[CatinaT1]

Time-saving Tip: If what you entered is correct and you continue to get a reject, you won't be able to e-file. There's probably a data mismatch at the government, or some other situation beyond your control that prevents your return from being e-filed. In this case, your only option would be to print and mail in your return.

This article will give you instruction on how to print and mail your return.

[dianalarose]

My husband passed away in 2019. My return was rejected due to spouse's AGI. I tried the trick with entering 0, but that didn't work either.
Here's what worked. I filed my return via FreeTaxUSA using exactly the same information. My return was accepted in just a couple of hours.
***TurboTax has a problem and is giving us excuses and lies instead of fixing it.***

[Fr2]

I called Intuit and they told me to fix the issue, I needed to enter the deceased DL or State ID. I did so and resubmitted only to have the return rejected. I feel like it is a Turbo Tax issue that needs addressed because I also have my transcript and the AGI matches what was entered. In this era, we should be able to e-file the return and not have to snail mail stuff.