As we come to the end of the year, I am often asked about different tax issues applicable to my clients’ situations.
If my client’s divorce will not become final before the end of the year, the parties can still file a joint tax return. Once the judgment of divorce has been filed, an ex-spouse can file the return as a head of household, if he or she has paid for over half the maintenance of the household, and has a dependent living at his or her home for over half the year.
When the parties are divorced, only one of them can claim the $3,500 child dependency exemption on their tax returns for 2008. The parent claiming the dependency exemption is also allowed a $1,000-per-child tax credit for children younger than 17, as long as his or her income is not above the following cut-offs. For a married couple filing jointly, it is $110,000, for a married couple filing separately, it is $55,000 per spouse, and for all others, it is $75,000. If the applicable income exceeds the above thresholds, the amount of the child tax credit is reduced proportionately.
Usually, it is the person named as the custodial parent in the child custody portion of the divorce decree that is allowed to claim the child as a dependent. If the divorce decree does not name a custodial parent, then the parent with whom the child has lived with the longest throughout the year is the custodial parent.
A non-custodial parent, however, can claim the child dependency exemption, as long as the custodial parent signs a waiver promising not to claim the exemption. This is typically accomplished by the use of IRS Form 8332. However, the recent amendments of the IRS regulations dealing with this issue have complicated this issue. The final regulations provide that a release not on a Form 8332 must be a document executed for the sole purpose of releasing the claim. A court order or decree or a separation agreement cannot serve as the written declaration. If a release of a claim to a child is for more than one year, the noncustodial parent must attach a copy of the written declaration to the parent’s return for the first tax year for which the release is effective. Copies must also be attached to returns for later years. Under the final regulations, a custodial parent who released the right to claim a child, can revoke the release for future tax years by providing written notice of the revocation to the other parent. The final regulations require that the parent revoking the release notify, or make reasonable attempts to notify, in writing, the other parent of the revocation. What is a reasonable attempt is determined under the facts and circumstances, but mailing a copy of the written revocation to the noncustodial parent at the last known address or at an address reasonably calculated to ensure receipt satisfies this requirement. A revocation can be made on Form 8332, or successor form designated by IRS. A revocation not on the designated form must conform to the substance of the form, and be in a document executed for the sole purpose of revoking a release. A taxpayer revoking a release may attach a copy rather than an original to the taxpayer’s return for the first tax year the revocation is effective, as well as for later years.
Yet another related issue is who can claim the child as dependent under the group health plan coverage and health savings account (“HSA”) distributions. Under the final regulations, for purposes of group health plan coverage and health savings account (HSA) distributions, both parents can claim the child as a dependent if: (1) the child qualifies as a dependent of one of the parents; (2) the parents (both parents together) provide more than ½ of the child’s support for the calendar year; (3) the child is in the custody of one or both parents for more than ½ of the calendar year; and
(4) the parents are divorced, legally separated under a decree of separate maintenance, separated under a written separation agreement, or live apart at all times during the last six (6) months of the calendar year.
If a non-custodial parent claims the child exemption first, and without the custodial parent’s permission, he or she is likely to receive the exemption temporarily. However, once the custodial parent files his or her tax return including the exemption, and IRS notices that a child’s social security number has been included on two different tax returns, then both parties would be notified by IRS that only one party is entitled to the exemption, and the tie-breaker rule would be used to resolve this situation. This rule says that if two parents claim that a child as a dependent, the parent with whom that the child lived with the longest during the year, receives the exemption. If the child had spent the same amount of time with both parents, then the parent that had the higher adjusted gross income would get the exemption. The parent who was not entitled to the exemption would have to repay the tax, plus penalties and interest.
Regardless of who the custodial parent is, if the non-custodial parent pays for any of the child’s medical bills, these costs can be a deduction, subject to appropriate income limits. Child-care credit for work-related expenses can be claimed for children younger than 13.
The spouse who pays maintenance or spousal support can also receive a tax deduction for these payments, even if they aren’t itemized—as long as the payment amounts are stated in the divorce agreement or the judgment of divorce, and actually paid. The spouse who receives maintenance must pay taxes on it. For child support, however, there is no deduction for paying it and no taxes are paid by the parent receiving it. Assets transferred from one spouse to another during a divorce are not generally taxed.
Please note that the above discussion is not a tax advice and these issues should be discussed with your tax professional.