Why IRS tax refunds after death can take over a year and what to do

Losing a loved one is hard enough, but some are still forced to deal with the IRS for more than a year afterwards, data show.

After someone died, it took the IRS an average of 444 calendar days to issue refunds due to the deceased person’s beneficiaries from January 2021 through July 2024, according to a report last year by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA. That compares to the 21 days the IRS says it takes most Americans to receive their refunds during the regular tax season when filing electronically and using direct deposit.

Like everyone else, survivors of the deceased may look forward to refunds to help offset expenses, including those related to closing an estate or adding an inheritance, experts said. As of July 2024, the IRS reported 440,443 cases where a refund was due on a deceased taxpayer’s account. Together, the refunds totaled more than $1.3 billion. Nine percent of the refunds due were more than two years old, 43% between one and two years old and 49% up to a year old.

“Losing a loved one is difficult and filing a final tax return should not cause undue burden in a difficult time,” the National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA), an independent ombudsman for taxpayers, wrote in a blog.

Why do refunds after death take so long?

IRS Form 1310 to claim a federal tax refund on behalf of a deceased taxpayer often needs to be filed with the deceased person’s tax return, unless you’re a surviving spouse filing a joint original or amended return claiming a refund, or a personal representative confirmed by the court.

Form 1310 kicks off a manual process within the IRS to process the refund, and bottlenecks can emerge when refunds are handled manually, TIGTA said.

What is being done to expedite the refunds?

The IRS has reduced its backlog. As of August 2025, more than 70% of the backlog had been cleared, with about 1,100 returns waiting to be processed, according to NTA.

Additionally, for the 2025 tax filings this year, the IRS implemented a program to either eliminate or significantly reduce the need for manual refunds for those who claim a deceased taxpayer’s refund, TIGTA said.  Changes include allowing systemic refunds once Form 1310 is processed or any other missing information is secured, the ability to find and prioritize overaged cases, and better employee training to process deceased people’s returns.

What can Americans do before death to ease the burden?

While you can’t control processing at the IRS or any financial institutions you may need to request information from, there are steps people can take to speed up their work of getting the tax return done, experts said.

One of the biggest hurdles for people is finding the necessary information to complete a tax return for someone after death, said Colleen Carcone, Director of Wealth Planning Strategies at TIAA.

“In the past, we received all of our tax forms by mail, and so the person who was filing on behalf of the decedent could simply wait to collect mail and be assured that they had all of the decedent’s tax information,” she said. “Today, many tax forms are accessed online, making it difficult to know what information exists and how to access it.”

To make it easier for survivors, experts recommend people take these steps while alive:

• Keep detailed records: List all information needed to file your tax return and how to obtain the information after death. “One of the biggest gifts you can give to beneficiaries is to be organized, with an updated will and where all the accounts are so they don’t have to spend a lot of time locating everything,” said Tyler End, chief executive and co‑founder of retirement advisory company Retirable.
• Consolidate accounts: Fewer bank and investment accounts mean fewer forms and entries on the tax return, simplifying the filing process. “As a bonus, fewer accounts might make managing your assets easier, too,” Carcone said.
• List contacts who can help: Contact information for professionals like accountants or financial advisors who will have the necessary information and can help file the tax return. “It might be worth it to get a CPA (certified public accountant) to help get through this,” End said. “It’s not an auto-tax filing.”
• Work with qualified professionals: They can guide you and your loved ones through complex financial decisions and tax matters before death that’ll make the process after death more manageable. “A financial adviser is like a quarterback of the financial ecosystem,” End said. “They can be a resource that knows everything you own − life insurance, bank accounts, investment funds.”

Medora Lee is a money, markets and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@usatoday.com and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.