When a person dies, someone else must step up and close the estate. If that responsibility falls to you, as an executor you must identify all of the estate’s assets, pay off creditors, and distribute what is left to the heirs. However, an added responsibility as the executor is that you must also file all of the tax paperwork for the estate, as well. There are four major tax considerations that you must complete as the executor of an estate.
Filing the Final 1040
The first thing that you must do as an executor is file the deceased’s personal tax return for the year that the person died. The standard 1040 form covers from January 1 of that year until the date of death. If there is a surviving spouse, you can fill out the 1040 as a joint return and is filed as though the deceased lived until the year’s end. A final joint 1040 includes the decedent’s income and deductions up until the time of death in addition to the surviving spouse’s income and deductions for the entire year.
Filing the Estate’s Income Tax Return
In addition to filing the individual income tax return, as the executor you must also file an income tax return for the estate. Once the person has died, any income generated by any holdings is income of the estate. The estate’s first year of income tax starts immediately after death and the end date can be the end of any month, so long as the time period for the return is twelve or less months. You must file a 1041 form with the federal government by the fifteenth day of the fourth month after the year-end date.
However, if the estate is less than $600, you do not have to file a 1041 on behalf of the estate. In addition, you do not need to file this form if all the decedent’s income-producing assets bypass probate and go straight to the surviving spouse or other heirs by contract or operation of law. Examples of this include joint tenancy in property, retirement accounts, IRAs, and other beneficiary designated income.
Filing the Estate’s Estate Tax Return
You must also file the estate’s estate tax return, otherwise known as Form 706. This form is only applicable if the deceased’s estate is worth over the federal exemption level, which is $5.43 million for 2015. However, the form is required if that person gave a sizable gift over the annual gift amount of $14,000 sometime within 2013-2015. If a sizable gift was made, it is added back to the estate for tax purposes to see if the estate would be over the federal exemption limit. If it is, there is a 40% tax on the excess amount.
The deadline for Form 706 is nine months after death, but a six month extension is allowed. It is also important to note that while life insurance proceeds are given income tax free, they are usually included in the decedent’s estate for estate tax purposes. An exception to this is if the beneficiary is the surviving spouse.
Miscellaneous Tax Details
There are smaller other details that are necessary for filling out an estate’s tax responsibilities. If you need to fill out a 1041 or Form 706, you must get the estate a federal employer identification number (EIN). This requires filling out another document, Form SS-4. You should also file a Form 56 that notifies the IRS that you will be handling the tax issues for the estate. Finally, these forms apply to the federal government, but do not forget to check and see if the state requires tax returns, as well.