Dear Liz: I am 85, and my husband is 87. We are both retired. He has not paid our income tax for three to five years. I have given up trying to get him to do it. I know it’s partly my fault, as I should have taken more responsibility. What should I do? Whom should I call?
Answer: Presumably, when you write that your husband has failed to pay your taxes, you also mean he’s failed to file your returns. Failing to file actually incurs much larger penalties than failing to pay, but either way, your tax debt is likely to have grown over the years due to inaction.
Some good news: AARP Foundation Tax-Aide offers free help with tax returns, including catching up on prior year filings. Tax-Aide is designed to benefit low-to-moderate income people, particularly those 50 and older, but anyone can use its service unless their returns are particularly complex. You can find the various preparation options in your area using the locator tool at https://www.aarp.org/money/
Another option is to ask friends and family for a referral to tax professionals they trust. You can use the IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers to verify credentials.
Recognizing and coping with cognitive changes can be terribly difficult. Your husband may have been too proud to say that he’s no longer capable of this chore. But as you noted, taxes are typically a joint responsibility and now it’s your turn to step up and get the help you both need.
Do you have any information on Unsecured Property Tax bill?
We sold deceased parents home. In order to sell we had to change trustee on trust – remove deceased parent and add successor trustee. This caused house to be reassessed, we sold the house in May 2025 (parent died 1/25). The personal property tax assessment is from January to May because of change of trustee. Why do we have to pay this if they had a living trust?
I believe this is because of Prop. 19. The living trust became irrevocable when your parent died, and that’s considered a change of ownership. The estate planning attorney who advised you on settling the estate can give you more details.
I disagree with the tax advice you gave to the 85 yr old lady & her husband age 87, who hadn’t filed a tax return in the past 3-5 yrs. Maybe their combined income is so low they don’t have to file. Did you consider that? If not, you should. Not everyone needs a tax adviser to add 2 Social Security income forms together & determine that, “No Hon, we don’t have to file.”
That’s certainly a possibility, and one that the free Tax-Aide volunteer can quickly assess.