IRD question

[Catherine]

Taxpayer died in 2011. Everything held jointly with spouse; couple with both retired and living on IRA's plus a small pension.

The only IRD was a whopping $20-and-change interest earned but not paid.

What do I do about this? There was no estate opened (they'd already sold their principal residence to go to retirement living); everything they had was under all the limits. A final 1040 for the decedent with $20 in interest?

I've tried looking it up and all I can find is guidance when an estate EIN has been obtained.

TIA,

Catherine

[Margaret CPA in OH]

So you are filing the 2011 return? If everything was held jointly as you wrote, wouldn't it simply be reported on the 2011 joint return? Also, in my Handy Dandy QF, it mentions that interest earned IRD can be reported on Form 1041 or beneficiary's return.

[Catherine]

Thanks, Margaret -- that's what I _thought_ (that it could just go on the joint return). But I couldn't find it online or in the Tax Book, and ended up giving up after spending way more than $20 of my time looking. You have a great weekend!

[Lion EA]

I know. Don't you just want to pull out a twenty sometimes and hand it to them to forget about some obscure deduction that'll save them only $12 or so?!

[kcjenkins]

It's the little ones that trip us up, because our heads are full of details of the complex questions!!!!