Get AntiShyster IRS Instruction 56

Generally, you should file Form 56 when you create (or terminate) a fiduciary relationship. File Form 56 with the Internal Revenue Service Center where the person for whom you are acting is required to file tax returns.

Form 56 Instructions In order to file Form 56, you will need to get a copy of the form from the IRS or a tax professional. The form will be filed directly with the IRS and it is the responsibility of the fiduciary to file in a timely manner after the establishment of fiduciary duties.

Form 56 is filed with the IRS at the beginning and end of a fiduciary relationship. Form 56 must also be filed whenever the fiduciary relationship changes. Filing Form 56 notifies federal agencies and creditors to send mail regarding the estate to the fiduciary.

IRS form 56, Notice Concerning Fiduciary Relationship, is used to notify the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities of either the initiation or termination of a fiduciary relationship between you and an artificial entity, such as a business, trust, corporation, or partnership.

If you don't file taxes for the decedent and the estate promptly, the IRS can file a federal tax lien requiring you pay the decedent's income tax ahead of other bills. ... If the estate can't pay the debt because you spent the money on another debt or distributed assets to the heirs, the IRS may look to you for the money.

In general, the final individual income tax return of a decedent is prepared and filed in the same manner as when they were alive. All income up to the date of death must be reported and all credits and deductions to which the decedent is entitled may be claimed.