Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Use the same filing status that was used on the final federal income tax return, unless the decedent was a partner in a civil union.

• Joint Return. Write the name and address of the decedent and the surviving spouse in the name and address fields. Print "Deceased" and the date of death above the decedent's name.
• Other Filing Status. Write the decedent's name in the name field and the personal representative's name and address in the remaining fields. Print "Deceased" and the date of death above the decedent's name.

Prorate exemptions or deductions only if the decedent was a resident of New Jersey for part of the year and a nonresident for part of the year.

• Personal Representative. A personal representative filing on behalf of a deceased taxpayer must sign the return in his or her official capacity. If it is a joint return, the surviving spouse/civil union partner must also sign.
• No personal representative. If filing a return when there is no personal representative for the deceased, the surviving spouse/civil union partner signs the return and writes "Filing as Surviving Spouse" or "Filing as Surviving Civil Union Partner" in the signature section.
• No personal representative and no surviving spouse. If there is no personal representative and there is no surviving spouse/civil union partner, the person in charge of the decedent's property must file and sign the return as "Personal Representative".

If there is a refund due and you want us to issue the check to the decedent's surviving spouse or estate:

• Enclose a copy of the decedent's death certificate; and
• Fill in the oval below the signature line.

If you had the right to receive income that the deceased person would have received had he or she lived, and this income was not included on the decedent's final return, you must report the income on your own return when you receive it. Include the income or gain on the "Other" income line.