Can I still claim my mom who passed away in April as a dependent on my 2024 taxes?

Thanks for the info. I'm in a similar situation, but my dad passed in December. Does it matter which part of the year they were alive? Like does April vs December make any difference for claiming?

It doesn't matter which part of the year the person passed away - whether it was January or December. As long as they met all the dependency tests during the period they were alive, you can claim them as a dependent for the entire tax year. For your December situation, it's exactly the same as the April scenario - you can claim your father as a dependent on your tax return as long as he met all the other dependency requirements (lived with you, you provided more than half their support, their income was below the threshold, etc.) before he passed away.

How does it work with actual tax forms though? Like can it tell you which forms you need to file when claiming a deceased dependent? The IRS website is so confusing.

I'm a bit skeptical about these AI tools. Does it give actual tax advice that's accurate or is it just general info you could find by googling? How reliable is it for something this specific?

It actually walks you through exactly which tax forms you need for your situation. I uploaded my grandma's final social security statement and it explained how to report that on my return along with the dependent claim. For specific tax advice, it references actual IRS publications and explains them in simple terms. It's way more helpful than Google because it's looking at your actual documents and giving personalized guidance. I was worried about missing something important after my grandma passed and it caught several deductions I would have missed.

How does this actually work? Do they just call the IRS for you or something? I'm confused how any service can get you through faster than just calling yourself.

This sounds like complete BS. There's no way any service can magically get you through the IRS phone queue faster than everyone else. The IRS phone system is first-come-first-served. I'll stick to waiting on hold like everyone else rather than paying for some "miracle" service.

They use a specialized system that dials for you and navigates the IRS phone tree, then calls you once they've reached an actual human at the IRS. You don't have to sit on hold for hours - they do that part for you. It's not a scam at all - they don't pretend to be you or anything sketchy. They just handle the waiting part, then connect you directly to the IRS agent once someone picks up. It saved me literally 3+ hours of hold time and stress. For something complicated like tax questions about a deceased relative, it's totally worth it to actually get answers from the IRS directly.

Do I need to submit the death certificate with my tax return or just keep it with my records in case they ask? And thanks for mentioning the medical expenses - she had quite a few in those last couple months that I paid out of pocket.

You don't need to submit the death certificate with your tax return - just keep it with your tax records in case of an audit. The IRS generally doesn't require supporting documentation when you file, but you should keep it for at least 3 years after filing. Definitely add up those medical expenses! If your total medical expenses exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, you can deduct the amount over that threshold. Since you were claiming your mom as a dependent, any medical expenses you paid for her care count toward your medical expense deduction.

You definitely need to return any SS payment received for the month they died or later. My mom passed in June and they took back her June payment automatically from her account. Call the SSA office right away because they might assess penalties if you keep it.