Dead with the IRS

[ILLMAS]

How can a person be dead according to the IRS but everything is fine with SSA and was billed for a paper return the TP submitted?  And they were able to open a id.me account too.  Potential client wanted for me to resolve the issue but didn't like my price.

[Lee B]

The IRS has so many systems that don't talk to each other that I am not surprised.

There could have been a data entry error when the paper filed return was entered.

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

I cannot speak with IRS personal knowledge, but many who I have come across over the last few decades, will share generalities on actions which are done to protect self/department/office interests versus "real world" needs.  In the "old days", many thought this was because some who even made it to decision power were biding time / building resume, towards personal practice.  Complication/Byzantine means profits in PP, and life time employment whether in PP or not.  An example is 94x electronic filing "ease". 

Over complication and lack of accepting and using de facto standards is a real issue.  IRS is not alone, see examples in CA such as their payroll process, EDD process, etc.  Contracts for custom software which, after many years, is not completed/functional.

SSA, on the other hand, has easy efiling, and their MMREF file structure has been adopted (albeit sometimes oddly altered) by many other tax agencies.

[schirallicpa]

Years ago - the very first year I was efiling tax returns - one of my clients returned an error that said he was dead.  We paper filed the return.  the next year he was alive again.  It was a strange fluke.  Didn't think much of it then.

[jasdlm]

I had this happen to a client with is 2019 return; it rejected because he was 'dead'.  Fun phone call to tell him about it!  He had to go to SS, prove his identity, and complete a form (I'm not at the office now and can't remember the name or number of the form) saying that he wasn't dead and paper file his return with the same.

[Christian]

I have a client who had this issue twice once when her first husband died and some five years later when she remarried. She had to get the state Senators office to finally get it resolved.