Final Tax Return Preparation

Final tax return preparation for a deceased person

If you’re the executor, adult child or surviving spouse settling the estate, you need to know whether the last return has to be filed, who signs it, and whether a refund is waiting. We settle each one, then prepare and e-file the return once you have signed it.

✓Every call answered the same business day ✓Signer and court paper settled before we file ✓Families in any state, handled remotely
Call (661) 554-4495

Start with the last return

Leave a name and a phone or email; we reply with where to send the last return and any statements.

Free, no obligation · Your details stay private

N&T Tax & Advisory Group · Santa Clarita, California
$0For the first review
1Flat fee, quoted in writing
3Steps from first call to filed return
Why it matters

What does getting the final return wrong cost?

Filing too little forfeits money the family was owed; filing too much pays tax on the wrong return.

Filing too little
Assuming nothing is owed because the person died, or letting the deadline pass while the estate gets sorted, costs the family money it was owed. A refund goes unclaimed, an unused loss or credit is forfeited, and IRS letters and penalties keep arriving in the person’s name.
The right move
We file the final return once, on time, signed by the person the IRS recognizes, with the refund claim attached and nothing left for a second return to fix.
Filing too much
Reporting money that arrived after the death on the personal return pays tax on the wrong return, sometimes twice once the estate reports it too.

Telling which of these you’re in takes the person’s actual statements and last return, not a guess. Send them and we read them before we say anything.

What we handle

What our team does for you

1
Settle whether a return is due
We determine whether a final return is required at all, and whether filing anyway recovers money that was withheld.
2
Work out who signs
We identify the executor or personal representative the IRS will accept as acting for the deceased, and what paper proves it.
3
Split the year at death
We decide, statement by statement, which of the year’s income goes on the final return and which goes to the estate’s return.
4
Use every carryover
We pull the prior-year return and apply every unused loss or credit before it is lost.
5
Prepare and e-file the return
We prepare and e-file the final federal and state return as part of our tax preparation service; nothing goes out until you have signed it.
6
Handle the returns around it
When they apply, we prepare the surviving spouse’s joint return, the estate’s own income return for money that kept arriving, and earlier years the person never filed.

Who brings us a final return

Adult children handling a parent’s affairs
Surviving spouses
Court-appointed representatives
Trustees of a family trust
Siblings sharing the paperwork
Families whose estate keeps receiving income
The deliverables

What you walk away with

The free review gives you a written answer and a list of what we need; the paid engagement gives you the filed return.

01
A written answer on filing
A short written note saying what gets filed, for which year and in whose name, so everyone handling the estate is reading the same answer.
02
A list of what we need
Which statements are in hand, which are still missing, and which only arrive after a death, so you know what to watch the mail for.
03
The finished return
The finished return, state return included, with the refund or balance shown plainly and the name the IRS will pay it to.
04
The honest verdict
When nothing has to be filed, or the return is simple enough to do on your own, we’ll say so and point you to the guide.
How it works

How the engagement works

1

You send what you have

Upload or email whatever is on the pile, organized or not. We go through it before the first call, so the call is about your answers rather than your paperwork.

2

We build and walk through it

We build the return and go through it with you on a call, so you can see why each number sits where it does and ask about anything before it goes anywhere.

3

You sign, we e-file

Once you sign, we e-file, and the IRS sends the refund straight to you or to the estate. We never route a refund through our office, and we never decide who inherits or whether probate is needed.

How the fee works

A flat fee, quoted up front.

The first review costs nothing; after it, the work is one flat fee set by the scope of the work, quoted in writing before any work starts.

01Income sources and statements. How many there are, and whether some have to be split at the date of death.
02Estate income return. Whether the estate needs its own income return for money that arrived afterward.
03Joint or unfiled returns. Whether a surviving spouse’s joint return or earlier unfiled years are part of it.
04Earlier returns we have to read. Whether earlier returns carry unused losses or credits we have to bring forward onto the final return.
✓After the free review, we quote you a flat number — before any work starts. No surprises.
Is this you?

Read the guide written for your situation

Or jump to the form →
You’re handling a parent’s or spouse’s last tax return and don’t know who files it or when
Read the guide →
You’re a surviving spouse deciding whether to roll the IRA into your own or keep it inherited
Guide for surviving spouses →
You’re newly named on a parent’s IRA and need to know who to call for what
Guide for new IRA beneficiaries →
You found a parent’s IRA statements with no withdrawals and need to know what to do
Guide for adult children with an inherited IRA →
You’re the trustee of a trust named on the IRA and the tax bill came back high
Guide for trustees of an inherited IRA →

Questions before you hire us

What does it cost to have you prepare the final return?
The first review is free; after it, the final return is one flat fee set by its scope and quoted in writing before we begin. The fee moves with how many statements the year carries and whether the estate or a surviving spouse needs its own return.
Can you prepare it if the person lived in another state or I live far away?
We prepare final returns for families in any state, remotely, wherever the person lived and wherever you live now. You send the documents, we prepare the return, and we walk you through it on a call.
What do I need to send?
Send us the last return the person filed, the statements that have come in, and the court paper naming you if there is one; from that we tell you exactly what is still missing.
Do you file the return, or just check it?
Our team prepares and e-files the final return itself, state return included. You review and sign it first.
Does anything have to be filed if the person had very little income?
A final return is not always required when the person had very little income, and settling that is the first thing we do at the free review. When nothing is required we say so at no charge, and if tax was withheld from a pension or paycheck, we tell you whether filing gets it back.
Who signs the return?
The person acting for the one who died signs it, not the estate itself; at the free review we confirm whether that is you and what paper the IRS needs to see.
What does this service not cover?
We do not handle probate, who inherits, or any question of estate law; those go to the probate court or an estate attorney. A business return or an IRS balance from earlier years is a separate engagement we name at the free review.
How soon after the death should we start?
Start as soon as you have the last return the person filed, even if statements are still arriving. Starting early gives us time to settle who signs and to request any paper the court or the IRS needs before the return is ready.

Get the final return filed once, and right

Leave your details in the form above, or call. We come back with what has to be filed and a written quote before you decide anything.