A tax policy related to divorce and in place for seven decades will end at the end of this year as part of the federal tax overhaul of 2017. For divorces after Dec. 31, those who pay spousal maintenance can no longer deduct alimony payments from their taxes. Also, maintenance recipients will no longer declare alimony as taxable income.
Because this change to the tax code is expected to reduce the amount of money divorced couples have on hand to split between them, divorce lawyers say they have seen a noticeable increase in filings as the year-end deadline approaches.
How Alimony Works with New Law
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1917 that alimony was not tax deductible, a rule that changed in the 1940s. The new law will pay a small portion of the $1.5 trillion in tax cuts scheduled over the next decade, with $6.7 billion added to the U.S. Treasury.
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