A 78-year-old woman is trying to get the state and federal government to believe she's alive after being declared dead. Cynthia Buckman was trying to file her tax returns when she got a notice stating it was rejected.

“I was totally livid, I was so angry,” Buckman said. 

Buckman said she was told the IRS had her listed as deceased which caused her return to not be accepted. She was expecting her refund check this week and was hoping to use the extra cash for a vacation but now is left with nothing. 

“I was just really ticked off this happened again,” Buckman said. 

Back in 2023, 21 News spoke to Buckman about how she was declared dead by Social Security because of a typo. She lost a third of her income when her social security checks stopped and lost her Medicare benefits. But after a few months and lots of phone calls she proved she was alive. 

“I thought everything was taken care of,” Buckman said. 

This time around she's still getting all her benefits but is afraid they might stop down the road. 

A representative from the Ohio Department of Taxation said E-filings are rejected for deceased taxpayers as a fraud prevention mechanism. 

If someone is incorrectly listed as deceased they should reach out to both agencies. 

  • IRS – 844-545-5640 (Columbus Office) or 1-800-829-1040 (general phone number)
  • ODT – 1-800-282-1780

Buckman has since re-filed her taxes and sent letters to the State of Ohio and the IRS. She hopes the clerical issue will just get resolved itself but said she doesn't have much faith.

“I think they’ll just throw it in the waste basket,” Buckman said. “I hope this is the end. I hope when I’m declared dead the next time I'm actually dead.”