Deceased relative's final tax return taking 7+ months to process by IRS - any ideas?

I've helped several clients with deceased taxpayer returns, and unfortunately, the IRS has been painfully slow with these lately. The problem is that deceased taxpayer returns get routed to a special processing department, which has been severely backlogged since the pandemic. In my experience, final returns are taking 6-9 months to process right now, so you're actually nearing the end of that window. The Form 911 was a good move, but the Taxpayer Advocate Service is also dealing with unprecedented backlogs. Have you tried contacting your congressional representative's office? They often have taxpayer advocate liaisons who can help push things along. Their constituent services department can sometimes get better answers than you can as an individual. When you call the IRS, are you using the executor/personal representative dedicated line? If not, call 866-699-4083 (the special number for estate administrators) instead of the main IRS number. They sometimes have more details.

I was in a similar situation with my mom's final tax return last year. After months of waiting, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which really helped me understand what was going on. Their AI can analyze tax transcripts and look for specific hold codes that might be causing the delay. In my case, they identified that her return had been flagged for identity verification (which obviously couldn't be completed since she was deceased). I uploaded all my documentation to their system and got a detailed explanation of why the return was stuck, along with specific steps to take. Calling the special executor phone number with the information they provided got me much better results than my previous calls.

I have to share my experience after trying taxr.ai from my previous comment. I was initially skeptical, but it turned out to be incredibly helpful. After uploading my dad's death certificate and tax information, I received a detailed analysis showing his return had been placed in the "Examination" queue due to some unreported income (a small pension distribution that wasn't included). With that specific information, I called the executor hotline mentioned above, referenced the exact hold code, and was able to get substantive answers for the first time. They verified the issue and told me exactly what documentation to fax to resolve it. The refund was processed three weeks later. After six months of getting nowhere, having the precise information about what was wrong made all the difference. I wish I'd known about this service months ago.

After dealing with my aunt's estate tax nightmare last year, I discovered a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that completely changed my experience with the IRS. They basically call the IRS for you and navigate the phone tree, then when an agent is actually available, they connect you directly. I was skeptical but desperate after waiting on hold for 2+ hours multiple times. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The service got me through to an actual IRS estate tax specialist in about 30 minutes instead of the usual 2-3 hour wait. The specialist was able to see notes on the account that the regular customer service reps couldn't access. Turns out the return was flagged for manual review because of a mismatch between reported income and what was on record. Once I explained the situation with documentation, they expedited the processing.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I figured I had nothing to lose and tried it. Holy crap, it actually works exactly as described. I've been trying to reach the IRS for WEEKS about my father's estate return, spending hours on hold only to get disconnected. I used the service yesterday, and within 40 minutes I got a call back connecting me directly to an IRS estate tax specialist. The specialist immediately saw that my father's return had been flagged due to a discrepancy with a 1099-R distribution. She put notes in the system to expedite processing once I faxed the corrected information. For the first time in months, I feel like I'm making actual progress. If you're dealing with an estate tax situation that's dragging on, the combination of knowing exactly what's wrong (from taxr.ai in my case) and being able to actually speak to a specialist without the hold time hell made all the difference.

Something else to consider - sometimes these delays happen because the IRS needs additional documentation but the notice gets lost in the mail. In my uncle's case, his final return was held up for 8 months because they needed a copy of the death certificate and the letters of administration, but the request was sent to his house (where no one was living anymore). You might want to check if there are any outstanding document requests by requesting an "Account Transcript" for your brother. You can do this online through the IRS website if you create an account, or use Form 4506-T to request it by mail.

Not sure if this helps, but when my husband passed, I found out the IRS has a specific "deceased taxpayer" department that handles these returns. Regular IRS reps sometimes don't even know about this department! When you call, specifically ask for your case to be transferred to the "Deceased Taxpayer Unit" or sometimes they call it the "Decedent Unit." Also, if you filed Form 1310 (Statement of Person Claiming Refund Due a Deceased Taxpayer) with the return, double check that all parts were completed correctly. My husband's refund was delayed because I checked the wrong box on that form.

I went through this exact situation with my grandmother's estate two years ago. After 8 months of waiting, I finally got results by doing three things simultaneously: First, I called the executor line (866-699-4083) mentioned above and specifically asked to speak with the "Deceased Taxpayer Unit." Regular customer service reps often can't see the same account details that the specialized deceased taxpayer agents can access. Second, I contacted my congressman's office for constituent services. They have a direct line to the IRS that bypasses the normal phone system. Within a week of contacting them, I got a call from an IRS manager who could actually explain what was happening with the return. Third, I discovered that my grandmother's return was flagged because the IRS had received a 1099-MISC that wasn't reported on her final return (it was issued after she passed). Once I provided documentation showing the income was received posthumously and needed to be reported on the estate return instead, they processed her refund within 3 weeks. The key was getting specific information about WHY the return was held up, not just being told to wait another 30 days. Push for details when you call - ask for transaction codes, hold reasons, or any notices that may have been sent. Don't accept vague responses. At 200+ days, your brother's return should definitely be processed soon. The combination of the congressional inquiry and the specialized IRS line should give you real answers.

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this incredibly frustrating situation. After reading through all the excellent advice shared here, I wanted to add one more resource that might help - the IRS has a specific "Where's My Refund" tool for deceased taxpayers at irs.gov, but you need to use the deceased person's SSN and the exact refund amount expected. Also, since you mentioned the estate is nearly insolvent, you might want to look into whether your brother qualifies for "currently not collectible" status if there are any outstanding tax debts. This can provide some breathing room while you're waiting for the refund to process. The combination of calling the executor hotline (866-699-4083), requesting the Deceased Taxpayer Unit, and contacting your congressional representative seems to be the most effective approach based on everyone's experiences here. At 200+ days, you're definitely past the point where generic "wait 30 more days" responses are acceptable. One thing to emphasize when you call - mention that this delay is preventing you from closing the estate and paying creditors. Sometimes framing it as preventing you from fulfilling your legal obligations as administrator gets more attention than just asking about processing times. Hang in there - based on the success stories shared here, you should finally start getting real answers with these targeted approaches.