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In high-income child support cases, the parent who is paying child support might feel the guidelines provide more income than the custodial parent can reasonably spend, particularly for an infant or toddler. On the other hand, the child support guidelines were enacted years ago to ensure that all children at a particular income level are treated the same, with predictable outcomes that encourage parents to settle out of court. The […]

On December 31, 2018, the tax deduction for alimony will be ending under new federal tax laws.  If you are in the middle of a divorce, or thinking about it, you might want to sit up and take notice. As author of the legal tax reference Frumkes & Vertz on Divorce Taxation, I’ve been reporting on and teaching colleagues all about these changes. Here are some explanations why decisive action […]

Spouses who are separated, but not yet divorced, might wonder whether they should file a joint tax return. When spouses file their taxes together, each spouse can be held fully liable for the tax, as well as any interest or penalties that might accrue if the joint return is not accurate and complete.  In other words, you could be forced to pay additional tax if your estranged spouse fails to […]

Spouses who are separated should act promptly to settle their divorce cases, before changes in the federal tax law make it more difficult next year. Back in December 2017, the U.S. Congress passed a law that makes sweeping changes in federal income tax. Many personal tax deductions have been repealed, including the right to deduct alimony from taxable income. The repeal of the alimony tax deduction affects divorce settlements and […]

After April 15, 2018, parents who are separated, divorced or unmarried will no longer have to fight over the tax deductions for their children. The U.S. Congress passed a new tax law in December 2017 that eliminates the dependency exemption for children, one of the tax benefits that historically provoked intense debate between estranged parents. The new law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2018, but does not affect 2017 […]

Divorced spouses who do not update their beneficiary designations are taking an unnecessary risk, as illustrated by a case now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.  In Sveen v. Melin, No. 16-1432 (cert. granted December 8, 2017), the Met Life insurance company was “caught in the middle” when its policyholder Mark Sveen died in 2011.  He had purchased his life insurance policy and designated his then-wife, Kaye Melin, as his […]