I filed on time last year. Apparently, I put the wrong filing status, and it caused a problem. Wife had died, and before she did, year before, we both filed married,

Indeed, some of the returns in research have been greatly delayed due to the backlog from lockdown.

If she was still alive in 2022, you may file Married filing jointly for the year.
If she passed in 2021 and you have dependents at home, you may qualify to file a as Widower.
If she passed in 2021 and you do not have dependents at home you may file as Single

You can verify any payments to the IRS and the dates made on your online IRS account. I highly recommend that everyone create an  account on the IRS website to verify the status of returns, payments, refunds,  stimulus information and so much more.  It may show information as the prior year return is researched.

Click to create an IRS Website Account.

I am so sorry for your loss. Please let us know if you have any other questions with which we can assist. 

TurboTax has a tool called TaxCaster to give you an idea of your tax liability and/or refund. You can vary different items and see how that could impact your return. This can be helpful for planning when you have life changes.   This will give you an idea if you should make estimated payments or change your withholding for your W-2.  Click for TaxCaster.  If things change during the year, you can try it again and always make an estimated payment then. 

This could be helpful if you wish to check your Form W-4 withholding. You can file a new one at any time with your employer and TurboTax has a tool to help calculate the best withholding. Click for TurboTax Withholding Calculator.