Ask the Editor, February 27: Questions on Tax Returns and...

Home
Taxes
Tax Deductions

Ask the Editor, February 27: Questions on Tax Returns and Decedents

In this week's Ask the Editor Q&A, Joy Taylor answers five questions on how to file a tax return for a person who died.

By Joy Taylor published 27 February 2026 in Features

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Copy link
Facebook
X

Share this article Print Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Get the Kiplinger Newsletter

Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

Want to add more newsletters?

Delivered daily

Kiplinger Today

Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.

Signup +

Sent five days a week

Kiplinger A Step Ahead

Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.

Signup +

Delivered daily

Kiplinger Closing Bell

Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.

Signup +

Sent twice a week

Kiplinger Adviser Intel

Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.

Signup +

Delivered weekly

Kiplinger Tax Tips

Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.

Signup +

Sent twice a week

Kiplinger Retirement Tips

Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement

Signup +

Sent bimonthly.

Kiplinger Adviser Angle

Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.

Signup +

Sent twice a week

Kiplinger Investing Weekly

Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.

Signup +

Sent weekly for six weeks

Kiplinger Invest for Retirement

Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.

Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

Each week, in our Ask the Editor series, Joy Taylor, The Kiplinger Tax Letter editor, answers questions on topics submitted by readers. This week she's looking at five questions on how to file a tax return for someone who died. (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Tax Letter or subscribe.)

1. Filing a joint return with a deceased spouse

Question: My husband died last year. Can I file a joint 2025 Form 1040 even though he's no longer with us? Joy Taylor: When someone is deceased, the decedent's personal representative is generally required to file any final tax returns for the deceased person. That includes federal income tax returns that the decedent would have been required to file for the year of his or her death. A personal representative can be an executor, administrator, or anyone else who oversees the decedent’s property.Since you were married in 2025, you would mark “married filing jointly” for the filing status and write your deceased spouse’s name and your name and address. If filing by paper, write “deceased” at the top of the 1040. If using tax preparation software, the software will automatically do this for you.

If there is a court-appointed representative, that person must also sign the 1040. If not, you would sign and write “filing as surviving spouse” in the decedent’s signature box.

From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance

Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues

CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/y99mlvgqmn1763972420.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

If the return shows a refund due, there’s nothing you need to do to receive the refund.

2. Filing a return for a deceased sibling

Question: My brother died last year. He was not married. I am the executor of his estate. How do I file his final 2025 federal tax return?Joy Taylor: Since your brother wasn't married, here are the rules for filing a tax return for an unmarried decedent. Mark his filing status as single or head of household. Write his name on the name line and your name and address in the remaining name and address field (since you are the executor of your brother's estate).

If filing a paper return, put “deceased” at the top of the Form 1040 and your brother's name and date of death. Tax preparation software will do this once you let it know the filer is deceased.

If you are a court-appointed or court-certified personal representative, then you should sign the return. As executor of your brother's estate, you would sign as the personal representative.

If your brother is due a refund, you may have to complete and attach Form 1310 to the return. This rule doesn't apply if you are a court-appointed or court-certified personal representative. Instead, you would have to attach to the return a copy of the court document showing the appointment.

Today's best tax software deals

TurboTax - Do it yourself $119/mthView

TaxAct Deluxe+ $47.95View

TaxSlayer Classic $19.95 $14.96View

Deluxe online $22.49ViewWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

3. Filing status after loss of a spouse

Question: My wife of 48 years died last September. When she was alive, we always filed joint returns. But now I want to file a separate return for 2025. Can I do this?

Joy Taylor: Yes. You, as the surviving spouse, can file your deceased wife's final return either as married filing joint or married filing separate. If you file a 2025 joint return with your deceased spouse, you would follow the instructions set forth in the answer to question 1 above. If you file a separate return for yourself for 2025, be sure to also file your deceased wife's separate 2025 return.

4. Filing a return for a widow with young kids

Question: My husband died suddenly last year. We have three young children under the age of 18. I know that I can file a joint tax return for 2025. But what about for 2026? What filing status should I use on my 2026 tax return?

Joy Taylor: You are correct that you can file a joint federal tax return for 2025. You would follow the instructions set forth in the answer to question 1.

For your 2026 return, it might benefit you to use the qualifying widow filing status. This lets surviving spouses with dependent children use the income tax brackets and standard deductions for joint filers for two years after the decedent’s death.

This means that if you remain unmarried, you can use the qualifying widow status on your 2026 and 2027 federal tax returns.

5. Other resources to find help

Question: A good friend of mine passed away last year. Are there any IRS resources I can turn to in figuring out how to file her final 2025 tax return?Answer: Yes. The IRS has an online tool to help you file a deceased person's tax return. It's an interactive tax assistant. You will need to enter some basic information, and it will give you an answer. The tool is called "How do I file a deceased person's tax return?"

Note that the IRS's interactive tax assistant will also help answer questions on nearly 60 other topics, including who qualifies as a dependent, filing an amended return and much more. Go to www.irs.gov/help/ita to access the IRS tax assistant and to see a list of topics.

Additionally, you can find helpful information in IRS Publication 559, Survivors, Executors, and Administrators, and in the instructions to Form 1040.

About Ask the Editor, Tax Edition

Subscribers of The Kiplinger Tax Letter, The Kiplinger Letter and The Kiplinger Retirement Report can ask Joy questions about tax topics. You'll find full details of how to submit questions in each publication. Subscribe to The Kiplinger Tax Letter, The Kiplinger Letter or The Kiplinger Retirement Report.

We have already received many questions from readers on topics related to tax changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill, retirement accounts and more. We will continue to answer these in future Ask the Editor roundups. So keep those questions coming!

Disclaimer

Not all questions submitted will be published, and some may be condensed and/or combined with other similar questions and answers, as required editorially. The answers provided by our editors and experts, in this Q&A series, are for general informational purposes only. While we take reasonable precautions to ensure we provide accurate answers to your questions, this information does not and is not intended to, constitute independent financial, legal, or tax advice. You should not act, or refrain from acting, based on any information provided in this feature. You should consult with a financial or tax advisor regarding any questions you may have in relation to the matters discussed in this article.