The simplest way to separate one party’s obligations from another is through spouse relief. Anyone requesting innocent spouse relief must have submitted a combined tax return for the relevant year in order to be eligible for any kind of relief for innocent spouses. The person requesting relief must also be able to establish their innocence regarding any errors on the tax return or unpaid debt. You can experience this if you married someone who was hiding tax debt from the prior year. Get more information and learn a bit more about the author.
Criteria to qualify
Innocent spouse eligibility would apply in cases where one party concealed tax debt from self-employment or tax evasion from the other party. There are also situations where a couple may be divorcing or where one spouse files taxes wrongly while the other is not present. The innocent spouse must be able to demonstrate their separation from the other party or the fact that the other person filed without their knowledge to qualify for any kind of relief or a portion of the tax return.
Small steps, big benefits
Any amount of the tax return that is owed to a person who is judged to be qualified for innocent or injured spouse relief may be given to them. This can cover items like child tax credits and any income they provided over the course of the year. When filing a tax return, an innocent spouse can fill out the IRS-provided form. Most of the time, it must be submitted separately, however certain automated or online tax services let you do this while completing your online tax returns. Any domestic abuse or threats to the party making the innocent spouse claim are considered on the form. To stay safe, it is crucial to reveal all this information.
