BROOMFIELD, Colo. — A Broomfield man who has been fighting the IRS for nearly a year after being wrongly declared dead is now officially alive (again).

Two months ago, Phil Anderson he told Denver7 Investigates that the IRS mistakenly marked him as “deceased.” I had been trying to change that for almost a year.

“Last time I checked, and in the immortal words of Monty Python, ‘I’m not dead yet,'” Anderson said in August.

Anderson said his state tax accounts were frozen and he had not received his state tax refunds in two years. She learned that somehow her Social Security number was switched with that of her daughter, who had cystic fibrosis and died in 2022.

Denver7 Investigates found out you’re not alone. The Social Security Administration confirmed in a statement that approximately 10,000 people each year are declared dead by mistake, but it was unclear if that is what happened in Anderson’s case.

However, when this issue arises, it can affect everything from tax refunds to Medicare. U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen’s office got involved, and two months later, Anderson finally had an answer.

“I’m not dead anymore. I have a new way of approaching life,” he said with a smile.

A spokesperson for Pettersen said they worked with the IRS and “successfully removed the erroneous ‘deceased’ marker.” The representative’s office is also working to make sure Anderson receives his state and federal tax returns.

“It’s a big relief. A lot of weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” Anderson said. “And if I hadn’t called you, I’d still be dealing with this.”

Denver7 Investigates contacted the IRS to find out what happened and why the issue took so long to resolve. A spokesperson said that by law they cannot comment on specific taxpayer situations.

Anderson hopes that by shedding light on her case, she can help prevent it from happening to others.

“As you know, I’m not dead. I think I’ll go for a walk now,” he said, quoting Monty Python.

Denver7