Filing Taxes!!!

Hi there!! Can anyone help me?? I need to start filing my US Taxes, even though I am a Brit, and I am a widow whose husband was American!! I have a Green Card and obviously a Social Security #. When we lived in the USA my Husband was on SSI and Social Security before he died.
This morning I received in the mail this morning a Social Security Benefit Statement(Form SSA-1099), stating how much the Social Security Administration had paid my husband last year before he died and it states that I have to use this for filing my taxes, which I will have to do through the US Embassy!!

I have been advised to file my taxes in order to keep myself in the American Governments tax and Social Security system!!

Can anyone tell me which forms I will need to download from the IRS website??
And also, even though my husband has died(He died April 19th last year) do I still file jointly or as a widow or a single person??

Thanks!!!

You will have to keep filing taxes, FBARs etc reporting worldwide income and worldwide financial assets for ever unless you formally abandon the green card using Form I-407.

I believe you can file jointly for the year of death but you may want to read the instrctions for the 1040 as well as whichever State you lived in.
 

So, basically, its Form 1040 that I need to download or are there any other forms I need to download as well??

This may help you to get started on the 1040, at least.

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p559/ar02.html#en_US_publink100099500

You should look at what you filed last year and your sources of income and deductions in 2010 as well as foreign income and assets. Remember in basic terms you report everything - and world wide for the entire year.

You (sensibly) provide no details, so it is impossible to guess which forms you might need to file.

1. If you download full form 1040, it will have additional "schedules", or tax forms. Depending on other income received, aside from the SS benefits, you may need some of these form or none.
2. You wrote, "I have to start filing my US taxes". Have you and your husband filed them previously or this is the first time? If you had filed in the past, then find the previous year returns and you will figure out which forms are applicable to you.
3. You did not provide information on the amount of benefits and your other income. It is quite possible that Social Security benefits received are fully or partially non-taxable. You will use worksheets enclosed with the form to figure out taxable amount.
4. As far as filing status, yes, you can continue filing as married filing jointly for two years after the date or death of your spouse.

But ... the worksheets should NOT be used if you received social security income while you lived in the UK as the income is exempt from US tax if you elect to use the tax treaty.

Electing to use the treaty may put your green card at risk, so you should seek advice also from a US immigration attorney.