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Pittsburgh divorce attorney Brian C. Vertz of Pollock Begg discusses the necessary components to consider when deciding to file taxes as head of household following separation and divorce. A partner at Pollock Begg since 2001, Brian is a prolific writer and sought-after presenter particularly in his concentration area of family law taxation. His book, Divorce Taxation, is a nationally distributed legal treatise on tax strategy for family lawyers. Brian is […]

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 Many personal tax deductions have been repealed, including the right to deduct alimony from taxable income.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 […]

Divorcing couples often face disastrous tax consequences because they go from filing taxes jointly to married filing separately, which creates the highest tax burden for both spouses. But, there is an alternative. Under certain circumstances, parents with children can file as head of household. To qualify, a single or legally separated person must maintain a household for more than half of the taxable year which is the principal residence of […]

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 […]