Stimulus check to deceased
Terry,
My sister died last year. I am executor of her estate and have not filed her 2019 taxes yet. $1200 was direct deposited into her checking acct this week for the stimulus (I am on it jointly). As I have not completed her taxes yet, the IRS does not know that she has died. I wanted to close out the checking account after completing her taxes but now can’t as don’t know how to get the money back to the IRS. Is there something I should be doing? Am sure other people have this problem about the government giving out undeserved money. Thanks
Terry Says
I spoke with the IRS about this, as you are obviously not alone. But as long as her return was filed lawfully in 2018, and she was alive to sign it, the law says she gets a stimulus payment. (This is not like continuing to collect social security benefits after death.)
I’m not saying the IRS won’t change their mind down the road — but they have a lot going on right now. So deposit the check and consider it part of her estate, and distribute it to her heirs by law. There is no way to send it back.
