Form 1310

(Rev. October 2020) 

Statement of Person Claiming 

 Refund Due a Deceased Taxpayer

Department of the Treasury 

Internal Revenue Service 

▶ Go to www.irs.gov/Form1310 for the latest information.

▶ See instructions below and on back. 

OMB No. 1545-0074 

Attachment 

Sequence No. 87

Tax year decedent was due a refund: 

Calendar year , or other tax year beginning , 20 , and ending , 20

Please 

print 

or 

type 

Name of decedent. If filing a joint return and both taxpayers are deceased, complete a 

Form 1310 for each. See instructions.

Date of death Decedent’s social security number 

Name of person claiming refund Your social security number 

Home address (number and street). If you have a P.O. box, see instructions. Apt. no. 

City, town or post office, state, and ZIP code. If you have a foreign address, see instructions. 

Part I Check the one box that applies to you. You must also complete Part III below. See instructions.

A Surviving spouse requesting reissuance of a refund check received in the name of both the decedent and the surviving spouse. 

B Court-appointed or certified personal representative (defined below). Attach a court certificate showing your appointment, unless 

previously filed. 

C Person, other than A or B, claiming refund for the decedent’s estate. Also, complete Part II. 

Part II Complete this part only if you checked the box on line C above. 

Yes No 

1 Did the decedent leave a will? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2 a Has a court appointed a personal representative for the estate of the decedent? . . . . . . . . . .

b If you answered “No” to 2a, will one be appointed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you answered “Yes” to 2a or 2b, the personal representative must file for the refund. 

3 As the person claiming the refund for the decedent’s estate, will you pay out the refund according to the laws 

of the state where the decedent was a legal resident? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you answered “No” to 3, a refund cannot be made until you submit a court certificate showing your appointment 

as personal representative or other evidence that you are entitled under state law to receive the refund. 

Part III Signature and verification. All filers must complete this part. 

I request a refund of taxes overpaid by or on behalf of the decedent. Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this claim, and to the 

best of my knowledge and belief, it is true, correct, and complete. 

Signature of person claiming refund ▶ Date ▶

Phone no. (optional)

General Instructions 

Future developments. For the latest information about 

developments related to Form 1310 and its instructions, such as 

legislation enacted after they were published, go to 

www.irs.gov/Form1310.

Purpose of Form 

Use Form 1310 to claim a refund on behalf of a deceased 

taxpayer. 

Who Must File 

If you are claiming a refund on behalf of a deceased taxpayer, 

you must file Form 1310 if:

• You are NOT a surviving spouse filing an original or amended 

joint return with the decedent; and

• You are NOT a personal representative (defined later) filing, 

for the decedent, an original Form 1040, 1040-SR, 1040A, 

1040EZ, 1040NR, or 1040-NR that has the court certificate 

showing your appointment attached.

Example. Assume Mr. Green died on January 4 before filing 

his tax return. On April 3 of the same year, you were appointed 

by the court as the personal representative for Mr. Green’s 

estate and you file Form 1040 for Mr. Green. You do not need to 

file Form 1310 to claim the refund on Mr. Green’s tax return. 

However, you must attach to his return a copy of the court 

certificate showing your appointment. 

Where To File 

If you checked the box on line A, you can return the joint-name 

check with Form 1310 to your local IRS office or the Internal 

Revenue Service Center where you filed your return. If you 

checked the box on line B or line C, then: 

• Follow the instructions for the form to which you are attaching 

Form 1310; or 

• Send it to the same Internal Revenue Service Center where 

the original return was filed if you are filing Form 1310 

separately. If the original return was filed electronically, mail 

Form 1310 to the Internal Revenue Service Center designated 

for the address shown on Form 1310 above. See the 

instructions for the original return for the address. 

Personal Representative 

For purposes of this form, a personal representative is the 

executor or administrator of the decedent’s estate, as 

appointed or certified by the court. A copy of the decedent’s will 

cannot be accepted as evidence that you are the personal 

representative. 

For Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see page 2. Cat. No. 11566B Form 1310 (Rev. 10-2020) 
Form 1310 (Rev. 10-2020) Page 2 

Additional Information 

For more details, see Death of a Taxpayer in the instructions for 

your return, or get Pub. 559, Survivors, Executors, and 

Administrators. 

Specific Instructions 

Name of Decedent

If you are filing a joint return for spouses who are both deceased 

and you are required to file Form 1310 (see Who Must File,

earlier), you must do the following.

• Complete a separate Form 1310 for each spouse.

• Attach both of these completed Forms 1310 to the return.

Note: If a refund is due, following these steps will assist in the 

timely release of the refund.

P.O. Box 

Enter your box number only if your post office does not deliver 

mail to your home. 

Foreign Address 

If your address is outside the United States or its possessions or 

territories, enter the information in the following order: city, 

province or state, and country. Follow the country’s practice for 

entering the postal code. Do not abbreviate the country name. 

Line A 

Check the box on line A only if you received a refund check in 

your name and your deceased spouse’s name. You can return 

the joint-name check with Form 1310 to your local IRS office or 

the Internal Revenue Service Center where you filed your return. 

A new check will be issued in your name and mailed to you. 

Line B 

Check the box on line B only if you are the decedent’s courtappointed or certified personal representative claiming a refund 

for the decedent on Form 1040X (1040-X beginning with the 

January 2020 revision), Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax 

Return; or Form 843, Claim for Refund and Request for 

Abatement. You must attach a copy of the court certificate 

showing your appointment. But if you have already sent the 

court certificate to the IRS, complete Form 1310 and write 

“Certificate Previously Filed” at the bottom of the form. 

Line C 

Check the box on line C if you are not a surviving spouse 

requesting reissuance of a refund check received in your name 

and your deceased spouse’s name and if there is not a courtappointed or certified personal representative. You must also 

complete Part II. If you check the box on line C, you must have 

proof of death. 

The proof of death is a copy of either of the following.

• The death certificate. 

• The formal notification from the appropriate government office 

(for example, Department of Defense) informing the next of kin 

of the decedent’s death. 

Do not attach the death certificate or other proof of death to 

Form 1310. Instead, keep it for your records and provide it if 

requested. 

Example. Your father died on August 25. You are his sole 

survivor. Your father did not have a will and the court did not 

appoint a personal representative for his estate. Your father is 

entitled to a $300 refund. To get the refund, you must complete 

and attach Form 1310 to your father’s final return. You should 

check the box on Form 1310, line C; answer all the questions in 

Part II; and sign your name in Part III. You must also keep a 

copy of the death certificate or other proof of death for your 

records. 

Lines 1–3 

If you checked the box on line C, you must complete lines 1 

through 3. 

Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act 

Notice 

We ask for the information on this form to carry out the Internal 

Revenue laws of the United States. This information will be used 

to determine your eligibility pursuant to Internal Revenue Code 

section 6012 to claim the refund due the decedent. Code 

section 6109 requires you to provide your social security 

number and that of the decedent. You are not required to claim 

the refund due the decedent, but if you do so, you must provide 

the information requested on this form. Failure to provide this 

information may delay or prevent processing of your claim. 

Providing false or fraudulent information may subject you to 

penalties. Routine uses of this information include providing it to 

the Department of Justice for use in civil and criminal litigation, 

to the Social Security Administration for the administration of 

Social Security programs, and to cities, states, the District of 

Columbia, and U.S. commonwealths and possessions for use in 

administering their tax laws. We may also disclose this 

information to other countries under a tax treaty, to federal and 

state agencies to enforce federal nontax criminal laws, or to 

federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to combat 

terrorism. You do not have to provide your phone number.

You are not required to provide the information requested on 

a form unless the form displays a valid OMB control number. 

Books or records relating to a form or its instructions must be 

retained as long as their contents may become material in the 

administration of any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax 

returns and return information are confidential, as required by 

Code section 6103. 

The average time and expenses required to complete and file 

this form will vary depending on individual circumstances. For 

the estimated averages, see the instructions for your income tax 

return. 

If you have suggestions for making this form simpler, we 

would be happy to hear from you. See the instructions for your 

income tax return.