Divorce and Taxes: Issue #4. Property Transfers

In any divorce where the parties own assets of value, there will likely be some transfer of assets between the parties as part of the divorce settlement. Assets that could be at issue range from tangible personal property (i.e. the pots and pans) to bank, investment and retirement accounts. In addition, the most valuable asset in many marriages is the marital home (and/or other real property). Although generally tax implications in spousal transfers are minimal there are some issues to look out for.

Issue #4. PROPERTY TRANSFERS: Because some assets are post-tax (such as bank accounts) and some assets are pre-tax (such as retirement accounts or capital gains), it is important to understand the tax implications in dividing them. If you trade a pre-tax asset for a post-tax asset of equal value without taking into account the resulting tax liability then you've lost the value of the tax liability. Therefore it is important to understand which assets have tax liability associated with them and whether there are any tax liabilities created through transfer.

PERSONAL PROPERTY WITHOUT CAPITAL GAINS: The transfer of personal property and bank accounts is simple. These items do not typically have any tax basis or capital gains upon transfer or sale because their value is either minor, depreciated, or, in the case of bank accounts, the appreciation is minimal.

PERSONAL PROPERTY WITH CAPITAL GAINS: Similarly, the transfer of property assets with capital gains implications is relatively simple. Pursuant to § 1041(a) of the Internal Revenue Code transfers to a spouse do not result in a gain or loss. This is also true for transfers to a former spouse if the transfer is incident to a divorce. This means that a stock transfered to a spouse or former spouse will maintain the same capital gains characteristics (and tax liabilities) as it would have had in the original spouse's possession. This is also true for an investment account, collectible, or house.

RESIDENTIAL REAL PROPERTY: In the case of residential real property there is a potential benefit to selling the house while still married instead of transferring it between spouses. There is a capital gains exclusion for profits realized on the sale of a residence and it is doubled for spouses. If the parties divorce and one party transfers their interest to the other, and that former spouse then later sells their interest in the residence they will only have the single capital gains exclusion. Of course, this only matters if there is significant equity in the residence.

RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS: Retirement accounts are not typically transferable between anyone, even spouses, without tax consequences. In order to transfer funds held in a retirement account the owner must first remove them from the retirement account, which, if allowed by the rules of the plan, will result in taxable income and, prior to retirement age, tax penalties. However, in the event of a divorce the IRS allows a one-time transfer by Qualified Domestic Relations Order (also known as a "QDRO"). A transfer of retirement account between former spouses pursuant to a QDRO results in a new retirement account held in the name of the other spouse in the amounts and per the terms specified in the QDRO. The retirement income paid from said account will be taxable income upon receipt just as it would have been to the original owner.

Click here to read Divorce and Taxes: Issue #5. Joint Tax Liability.

What is a QDRO?

QDRO stands for Qualified Domestic Relations Order, and they are the vehicle by which retirement assets are transferred post-divorce.

Retirement accounts are not typically transferable between anyone, even spouses, without tax consequences. In order to transfer funds held in a retirement account the owner must first remove them from the retirement account, which, if allowed by the rules of the plan, will result in taxable income and, prior to retirement age, tax penalties.

However, in the event of a divorce the IRS allows for a one-time transfer by Qualified Domestic Relations Order (also known as a "QDRO") to avoid these taxes and penalties. A transfer of retirement account between former spouses pursuant to a QDRO results in a new retirement account held in the name of the other spouse (or "alternate payee") in the amounts and per the terms specified in the QDRO. The retirement income paid from said account will be taxable income upon receipt just as it would have been to the original owner, but the transfer between spouses is not taxed at the time of the transfer.

Divorce and Taxes: Issue #6. Same Sex Marriages

Unfortunately, the current state of the law creates two classes of married citizens. Traditional opposite sex marriages are one class and same sex marriages are treated as second class by the limitations created by DOMA (the poorly named "Defense of Marriage Act"). DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. Although the current federal administration has indicated they will not defend DOMA in Court, it is still currently the law of the land. That means that many of the tax issues described in our last few blog posts do not apply in the same way to same-sex marriages.

Issue #6. SAME SEX MARRIAGES: Below we have described the numerous ways that DOMA changes how same-sex marriages are treated when it comes to taxes:

MARTIAL STATUS: For Federal tax returns, same sex married couples cannot file under married status. Therefore, their tax status upon divorce does not change on their federal returns.

ALIMONY: Because same-sex former spouses cannot be considered spouses for federal tax returns, they cannot take a tax benefit associated with a former spouse. Therefore, alimony payments made to a same-sex former spouse do not qualify as tax deductible income to the payor and cannot be categorized as alimony payments for federal tax purposes.

PROPERTY TRANSFERS: Because same-sex spouses and former spouses cannot be considered spouses for federal tax purposes, the exemption on capital gain realizations for transfers between spouses does not apply. Similarly, the transfers of retirement accounts allowed by QDRO between former spouses is not permitted between same-sex spouses. The inability to transfer retirement assets without tax implications can severely inhibit the ability to divide marital assets sensibly.

These limitations imposed by DOMA create extra considerations that must be made in dealing with same-sex divorce cases.

Click here to read Divorce and Taxes: Issue #1. Marital Status.