After the IRS mistakenly declared a Colorado man, Phil Anderson, dead, he spent nearly a year trying to rectify the error. Due to this mistaken declaration, his state tax accounts were locked, preventing him from filing taxes or receiving refunds. Anderson connected with Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen’s office for assistance, which helped correct the record and allowed him to access his state tax refunds. It was discovered that Anderson’s social security number had been mixed up with that of his late daughter, who passed away from cystic fibrosis in 2022. Despite the emotional toll of dealing with his daughter’s death and the mix-up, Anderson emphasized the importance of someone actively listening to his situation.
Death mix-ups like these are relatively uncommon, with less than one-third of 1% of reported deaths corrected annually by the Social Security Administration. The Taxpayer Advocate Service provided steps for individuals erroneously declared dead to resolve the issue, including contacting the SSA to correct their records and submitting required documentation to the IRS. Individuals who struggle to resolve such issues can seek assistance from the Taxpayer Advocate Service or contact their local social security office.
Ultimately, Anderson was able to successfully navigate the process and have the government recognize him as a living individual. He expressed relief and gratitude that the issue was resolved, stating, “I’m not dead anymore. I’ve got a new handle on life.” The IRS and SSA noted that deaths are reported through various sources, and living individuals may be mistakenly marked as deceased due to inaccuracies in information or processing errors.
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