Every year I try to file my taxes electronically and every year I get the message, "We cannot accept your return because the primary tax filer is deceased in our records." In May, while we were in the States recovering from our surgeries at the Mayo Clinic I called the IRS to get Mary Beth's name changed in their system. I added, "I know you probably can't do anything about it, but I've been deceased in your system since my first wife died 7 years ago and would like to get that fixed!" The person on the other end of the line decided I had thrown down the gauntlet and took it on as a challenge. Egging him on, I added, "I've heard it takes an act of congress to solve such issues, and I even called my congressman in Nebraska, but they evidently felt they had better things to spend their time on." This guys likes a challenge. "This is going to take a while, but I'm going to get it fixed," he said confidently.
A few days ago, my sister Carolyn got a letter from the IRS in the mail:
I wasn't convinced until I resubmitted my taxes for 2020 (the IRS happily took my money years ago, but didn't bother to file my forms) and the IRS said it was accepted! After years of waiting on hold on the phone with the IRS and the Social Security Administration I'm no longer dead! Hopefully, it is God's will that I keep it that way for a while!
