My wife passed on Jan 2nd 2006, what do I file under on my tax return for 2006?

Question

I am trying to find out my filing status for 2006 when my wife was only with me for Two days out of the year.

Answer 1

The year your spouse dies you are considered married to that spouse for the entire year, unless you remarry during that year.

If your spouse's estate is being administered, the administrator can select the deceased spouse's filing status and that may restrict your choices.

But other than that, if you did not remarry, you can choose either the filing status married filing jointly with your deceased spouse, or married filing separately.

Answer 2

Let me first express my condolences on the passing and subsequent anniversary of your wife's passing.

As to your question: For the 2006 tax year you and your wife were married for two days out of the year. According to the IRS, a married person who dies during the year is considered married for that tax year. The surviving spouse is also considered married for that tax year. If the surviving spouse does not remarry before the end of the year, a joint return or separate returns may be filed.

The married filing joint status will only be in effect for the year of the other spouse's passing. If there are small children (under 17) from your union, you would qualify for the Qualifying Widower filing status, for 2006 and 2007 (two years) as long as the surviving spouse did not remarry.

Answer 3

The assessment of your 2006 return will not be affected in any way by you not filing your 2005 return. It is a separate process. If there are things like loss carrybacks it will be included on your 2006 Assessment Notice. If you have no income in 2005 you do not have to file a return unless you are requested by CRA to do so.CRA has a "matching"program that matches employment, pension, investment and other income with individuals that choose not to file. In situations where there appears to be a debit CRA will first request a return and then do an arbitrary assessment if no return comes in. As you have no income then you will not be on this system.If you had business or self-employed income in 2004 or earlier CRA might still do an arb for you under the assumption that you are still in business but they will request that you file first. However it is a good idea to file a return for 2005 to get it on record in case you have problems in the future. For example if you need to make a fairness claim you have to have all returns filed up to date. Late filing Penalties and resultant interest are charged only if there are outstanding taxes due on April 30 in the year you are filing for.

Answer 4

I am sorry for your loss.

Qualifying widow or widower with a dependent child: You can still file a joint return for the tax year in which your spouse passed away. After that, you might be eligible to file as a qualifying widow or widower.

This filing option is available for two years following the year of a spouse's death and basically applies the filing data afforded married joint filers. The key here is that the surviving spouse cared for a dependent child who lived with the adult for the full tax year. During that time, the taxpayer must have paid for more than half the cost of keeping up the home.

Under qualifying widower status, for example, a man whose wife died in 2004 could use this category for 2005 and 2006 returns. His status would have been married filing jointly on his 2004 return, the year he lost his wife. But for the two subsequent tax years as a single father, he is able to use the joint tax rates and, if he doesn't itemize, could claim the highest standard deduction amount.

Picking the right filing status isn't always easy; some individuals find they actually qualify to file as more than one type of taxpayer. This could be the case for a divorced mother. Although technically she could file as a single taxpayer, it would be a smarter tax move to file as a head of household since she is taking care of dependent children. Head of household would give her a tax rate lower than the single filer's rate, plus she'd get a bigger standard deduction.

So take the time to examine your personal situation and how it fits into the various filing status choices. IRS Publication 501 provides more details on each status's requirements, as well as specific exceptions, examples and worksheets to help you make the appropriate filing choice.

And always keep in mind that the IRS lets you file under the applicable status that offers you the best tax advantage. The tax savings you might get by selecting the correct status could make any extra trouble worthwhile.

Answer 5

You will file as a married couple and be eligible for the tax breaks of filing jointly. You must write deceast in where your spouse would sign and include the date of her demise.

Answer 6

You are still eliglble to file jointly. The six month rule is only for child dependents

Answer 7

My condolences on the loss of your wife.

For this year, you can still file joint. The return will show "final return" for your wife.

Answer 8

You should have filed a tax return right after your wife died because of her death. You should go to a tax professional this year.

Answer 9

Sorry for your loss. Call H&R block and see what they say

Answer 10

?? srry for ur lost but isint it a lil early to wrry about this? sisnt she die today?