Mom passed away and I need help filing a 1041 Estate Tax Return form - confused about EIN and SSA-1099

I'm sorry about your mom's passing. Let me help clarify this for you. Yes, you likely need to file Form 1041 (Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts) if your mom's estate generated more than $600 in income after her death. The EIN you received via the SS-4 form is basically a tax ID number for the estate - think of it as a Social Security number, but for your mom's estate rather than for her personally. For the SSA-1099 showing her Social Security benefits, you'll need to determine if those benefits were received before or after her death. Benefits received before her death would go on her final personal tax return (Form 1040), while any received after her death would be estate income reported on the 1041. The house and car are assets of the estate, but they don't necessarily create income unless they're generating rental income or were sold at a profit. The mortgage doesn't create income but may create deductible interest expenses for the estate.

I went through this exact nightmare last year with my dad's estate! The whole Form 1041 thing was driving me insane until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which really saved me. All I did was upload the estate documents and tax forms including that SSA-1099 and the EIN letter, and it explained exactly what needed to go where. The most helpful part was that it broke down which income belonged on the final 1040 vs the 1041 estate return - something my expensive lawyer never clearly explained! It even showed me how to handle the house with the outstanding mortgage for estate tax purposes.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. Really helpful for sorting out my dad's estate tax mess! It identified immediately that I needed to split the SSA-1099 income between my dad's final 1040 and the estate's 1041. Even pointed out that I could claim deductions for the funeral expenses on the estate return, which I had no idea about. I'm now clear on exactly what forms to file and where everything goes. Wish I'd known about this months ago!

If you're still struggling with specific questions about Form 1041 and need to talk to an actual IRS agent, I recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation with my father's estate last year and had specific questions about reporting mortgage interest on the 1041 that no one could answer clearly. After spending DAYS trying to get through to the IRS on my own (literally hanging on hold for hours only to get disconnected), I tried Claimyr and got a callback from an actual IRS agent within about 45 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent walked me through exactly how to handle the mortgage interest deduction on the 1041 and confirmed I was filing everything correctly. Saved me so much anxiety about potentially doing it wrong!

I have to apologize and eat my words. After my frustrated comment yesterday, I decided to try Claimyr out of desperation. Got a call back in about 2 hours with an actual IRS estate tax specialist on the line! She walked me through exactly how to report my mom's final Social Security payments on both the 1040 and 1041 forms. Even explained how to handle the mortgage interest deduction properly on the estate return. I've been struggling with this for weeks and got clear answers in minutes. Definitely worth it for complicated estate questions that online research can't solve!

Don't forget you'll probably need to file a final personal tax return (Form 1040) for your mom too. That's separate from the estate tax return (Form 1041). The 1040 covers January 1st until her date of death, while the 1041 covers income the estate earned after her death.

Has anyone mentioned Schedule K-1 yet? When I handled my father's estate last year, I had to issue K-1s to all the beneficiaries for their portion of the estate income. That was the most confusing part for me!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Jayden. Dealing with estate taxes while grieving is incredibly difficult. From what you've described, you're on the right track with getting the EIN. Since your mom had minimal assets (house with mortgage and car), you may not need to file Form 1041 unless the estate generated over $600 in income after her death. This would typically come from things like interest, dividends, or rental income - not the assets themselves. For the SSA-1099, you'll need to determine if those Social Security payments were for periods before or after her death. Benefits for time periods when she was alive go on her final Form 1040 (covering January 1 to date of death). Any benefits received for periods after death should be returned to Social Security. A few key things to consider: - You'll likely need to file her final personal return (1040) in addition to potentially filing the estate return (1041) - The house and car are estate assets but don't create taxable income unless sold or generating rental income - Keep detailed records of all estate expenses (funeral costs, legal fees, etc.) as these may be deductible Don't feel bad about being confused - this is complex stuff even for professionals. Consider consulting with a tax professional who specializes in estate returns if your attorney isn't providing clear guidance on the tax aspects.