Widowed taxes not calculating correctly

The tax rates for Married Filing Jointly and Widowed are the same. I have two young children that are my dependents. I have entered my income and deductions and:

1) When I set my info to "Widowed", TurboTax says I owe a large amount of federal taxes. My tax situation has been consistent over the years (apart from becoming a widower) and I always have gotten a refund.

2) When I change my status to Married Filing Jointly, TT says I get a big refund

This is very frustrating

4262

Level 15

Jan 28, 2025 7:35:06 AM

Very sorry for your loss. For the year that your spouse passed, you were able to file a joint return. For the next two years after that, you can file as a Qualifying Surviving Spouse if you have qualifying dependent children claimed on your return. That way you get the same standard deduction that would be allowed on a joint tax return. Have you entered the children as dependents in MY INFO?

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Widowed taxes not calculating correctly