When a Connecticut resident passes away, there are a lot of things that need to be taken care of — including the filing of his or her taxes. This is different than filing estate taxes, which may or may not be necessary, depending on the size of the decedent’s estate. Filing state and federal income tax returns is a must, and it is up to the executor of the estate to get this done.
Filing an income tax return for someone who has died is done in the same way as filing for someone who is living. All income the decedent earned in the year of his or her death must be reported on a Form 1040 or 1040-SR, and credits and deductions claimed. If taxes are owed, they must be paid. If a tax refund is due, it may be collected by the individual responsible for closing out the decedent’s estate.
If the deceased person has failed to file taxes in any previous years, those must also be submitted. Before taking the time to complete the necessary paperwork, it is wise to get confirmation from the Internal Revenue Service of the missing tax returns. Once that confirmation is received, certain financial documents needed to complete the non-filed returns may be obtained by contacting the IRS or sifting through the decedent’s records.
Filing income taxes for a deceased person is not necessarily a difficult thing to do. Still, some may have questions about how to go about it, or some may find their work being audited by the IRS — among various other issues that may arise. The good news is, no one has to work through income tax issues alone. An experienced tax law attorney will have the ability to answer any questions one might have and provide the assistance needed to successfully complete the final income tax filing of a Connecticut resident who is recently deceased.