Is alimony excluded from gross income?
Certain alimony or separate maintenance payments are deductible by the payer spouse, and the recipient spouse must include it in income (taxable alimony or separate maintenance). Alimony and separate maintenance payments you receive under such an agreement are not included in your gross income.
When do you have to report alimony on your tax return?
The rules for reporting alimony income on your tax return changed with the 2019 tax year. Alimony payments are no longer tax-deductible, and the receipt of alimony isn’t taxable as income for divorces entered into after December 31, 2018. 1
How are alimony tax changes in 2018 will impact you?
How Alimony Tax Changes in 2018 Will Impact You. One of the changes to the law made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the elimination of the tax effects of alimony payments as of January 1, 2019. Prior to January 1, 2019, in most cases, alimony is a tax deduction for the payor and is taxable income of the recipient.
What are the requirements for an alimony payment?
A payment is alimony only if all the following requirements are met: The spouses don’t file a joint return with each other; The payment is in cash (including checks or money orders); The payment is to or for a spouse or a former spouse made under a divorce or separation instrument;
Can a spouse make an alimony payment during a divorce?
In divorce situations, one spouse or ex-spouse may become legally obligated to make payments to the other party. Since these payments are often substantial, locking in tax deductions for the payer has often been a substantial issue.
The rules for reporting alimony income on your tax return changed with the 2019 tax year. Alimony payments are no longer tax-deductible, and the receipt of alimony isn’t taxable as income for divorces entered into after December 31, 2018. 1
How Alimony Tax Changes in 2018 Will Impact You. One of the changes to the law made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the elimination of the tax effects of alimony payments as of January 1, 2019. Prior to January 1, 2019, in most cases, alimony is a tax deduction for the payor and is taxable income of the recipient.
A payment is alimony only if all the following requirements are met: The spouses don’t file a joint return with each other; The payment is in cash (including checks or money orders); The payment is to or for a spouse or a former spouse made under a divorce or separation instrument;
When is alimony not a tax deductible payment?
Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, alimony or separate maintenance payments are not deductible from the income of the payer spouse, or includable in the income of the receiving spouse, if made under a divorce or separation agreement executed after Dec. 31, 2018.