Proving to IRS That You Are Alive

[BobKamman]

You think you have problems dealing with IRS?

This guy has problems dealing with IRS.

https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/hes-not-dead-east-tn-widower-trying-to-get-2020-tax-ref... 

[IRonMaN]

And the following story on that TV station was Rudy Giuliani holding a press conference in the parking lot at Tony's Tires and Tattoos proving that a dead guy was allowed to vote in this year's presidential election.

[sjrcpa]

I had a client come to me with that situation once. She hadn't filed for several years because hey, they said she was dead.

[rbynaker]

A relative had that problem.  It took a Congressional Inquiry from Don Beyer's office to get things straightened out.

[BobKamman]

I have a client who came home one day to find a letter from SSA addressed to his family, expressing their regrets over his death.  He lived within walking distance of the Social Security office, so he paid them a visit (this is pre-Covid) and they were not concerned, acting as if it happened all the time, and said they would take care of it.  Then he went to the bank (also walking distance) and they had closed his account and sent his last check back to Social Security.  

A few months after it was all straightened out, it happened again.   

[abctax55]

Happened to me ~28 years ago, except it was a phone call from SSA.  A marriage (at 19 y/old... wish I knew now HALF of what I *thought* I knew then..) was incorrectly tagged by the State (Alabama) as a death.  They must have known the marriage wouldn't last 😂

Fast forward ~ten years to the time when SSA gets updated computers & viola - ummmmm I'm dead.

My first thoughts:

*Where has all my SS & Medi dollars been posted?

*IS this my chance to disappear?  (If I had know what 2020 & 2021 filing seasons would turn out to be like.... I should have disappeared).

Long process (too long to detail here) and a file that's 3-4 inches thick that eventually involved getting Senator Feinstein's office involved and I'm resurrected.   I have the letter from SSA basically saying "OK, we concede you ARE alive, but we can't promise this won't happen again".

Every time since then, when I've applied for a loan/mortgage, refinance, etc. I warn the lender in advance not to panic if I show up dead.

Funny now, but it was a bit of a nightmare at the time.

[IRonMaN]

Welcome back from the dead 😉

[abctax55]

TY, TYVM.  Most folks agree with you.

[rbynaker]

When all else fails, call your representatives and say "I can't vote for you anymore because SSA thinks I'm dead, is there anything that you can do about that?"

[BobKamman]

I was living in Chicago when I turned 21.  The answer would have been, "So?"

[rbynaker]

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@BobKamman wrote:

I was living in Chicago when I turned 21.  The answer would have been, "So?"

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Heck, in Chicago I would have expected the answer to be "how many times do you want to vote for me?"