Survivor Desk — When a Loved One Dies

When a loved one dies, the tax work arrives in the middle of grief. This desk moves at your pace. There is no sales language here, and there never will be.

1. Get certified copies of the death certificate
Order several certified copies — banks, insurers, and the IRS may each need one.2. Know who files the final return
The surviving spouse or the executor / personal representative files the deceased person's final tax return for the year of death.3. File the final return
Due on the normal filing date for that year. Starting this checklist creates a survivor case with that deadline on your Deadline Radar.4. Claim any refund owed — Form 1310
If a refund is owed to the deceased and you are not the surviving spouse filing jointly, Form 1310 claims it for the estate or beneficiary.5. Filing status, this year and the next two
A joint return is usually possible for the year of death. A qualifying surviving spouse with a dependent child may keep joint-return rates for two more years.6. Understand stepped-up basis
Inherited property generally takes a new basis equal to its value at the date of death — which can erase decades of taxable gain. Education only: estates can be complex.7. Check estate-level filings
An estate with income may need its own return (Form 1041), and large estates an estate tax return (Form 706). This is attorney territory.8. Talk to a pro
Estates route to credentialed pros and attorneys. There is no sales language in this desk, and there never will be — grief is not a funnel.

0 / 8 steps done. Estates can be complex — this desk routes estate questions to credentialed pros and attorneys.