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How do I file a final return for someone who has passed away?

by TurboTax•35• Updated 4 days ago

We're very sorry for your loss. 

The CRA requires all final returns to be paper filed. You'll need to print out and mail their return directly instead of using any electronic filing options.

When you're ready to begin the filing process, select your product below and follow the instructions.

  1. When starting the return, at Which of these applied to you in 2024? select This return is for a deceased person and select Continue.
  2. At Who are you preparing this return for?
    1. Select Someone Else.
    2. Answer Yes to Are you preparing a married/common-law return? then select Continue.
  3. At Let's get started! What's their name?
    1. Enter the name of the deceased.
    2. Check the box for This return is for a deceased person.
    3. Enter their date of death.
    4. Select Continue.
  4. At What’s [the decedent’s] spouse/partner’s name? enter the surviving spouse/partner’s name and select Continue.
  5. At Filing for someone who has passed away - whose return would you like to prepare first? select the decedent.
  6. At What was your marital status on December 31, 2024? this is referring to the decedent, so:
    1. Select Married / Common-law as applicable.
    2. Answer the questions, including province of residence.
    3. Select Continue.
  7. Continue completing the decedent's and spouse's personal information profiles. This unlocks 2024 tax return.
  8. At 2024 tax return, under To do, select Tax Profile > Your tax profile, and complete the tax profile steps for the decedent.
  9. From 2024 tax return:
    1. Go to each of the applicable remaining sections of the decedent’s return and enter the required info for each section.
    2. Select Review and complete the review.
    3. Select Finish and file and follow the instructions to print the return.
  1. At What's your marital status? enter the marital status right before their date of death and continue.
  2. At Where did you live at the end of the year? enter the province where the deceased lived right before their date of death and continue.
  3. At Personal information, enter their personal info and date of death, then continue.
  4. At Information for [name], enter:
    • The mailing address of where the notice of assessment should be sent
    • An appropriate your name in the Care of: field
    • Answers to the Additional Personal Information questions
  5. At Information about your spouse or common-law partner, enter the information of the spouse/common-law partner (if applicable), including their net income and Amount on line 8 of their provincial schedule 428.
  6. Proceed until you reach the What happened for you in 2024? section:
    1. Select the type of income you're reporting for the deceased. 
    2. If there is pension income, and you want to split eligible pension income between spouses, select Yes for Do you want to split eligible pension income with a spouse or common-law partner (if applicable)?  Later, you'll provide more information and the software will calculate the maximum eligible transferable amount of the spouse/common-law partner. This amount will be reported separately on the spouse/partner’s tax return.
    3. If a principal residence was transferred to the spouse/common-law partner, indicate Yes for Did you dispose of a property(s) in 2024, that was your principal residence? Later, you'll indicate the property was disposed of because the owner passed away, and you'll provide information about the transferee and the purchase price and fair market value on the date of death.
  7. Continue the EasyStep interview process to complete the preparation and printing of the return.