How to Get the IRS to Pay Your Child Support

Child support, as determined by the courts, can sometimes be a heavy financial burden for the non-custodial parent. It's considered a necessary evil, even though it can keep the non-custodial parent from living a comfortable lifestyle for themselves. There are, however, some ways to get the IRS to "help" with your child support payments, in addition to finding a way to get the child exemptions every year for your tax return to help ease the burden of paying financial support to your ex all year round.

* Ask for the tax exemptions for the children every year. IRS tax code states that you can claim a child if it lives with you for over half the year, or 183 days out of the year. However, if you have a court order that states the exemptions are yours regardless, than the court order "trumps" the IRS code. When in the courtroom determining custody, or while working on the parenting plan with your former spouse, consider asking for the tax exemptions every year. This will help get you money back through a refund to help balance out the amount you owed in child support all year.


* Provide medical benefits to your children. In some cases, you can write off the expenses of medical care through your taxes at the end of the year. This can help you tremendously if your former spouse pays half of medical expenses, and you are able to claim the full amount on your own taxes if you initially paid the bills and then were reimbursed by your former spouse for the other half of the medical expenses. This can help increase your refund come tax time.


* Combine your child support and alimony together at "maintenance." Child support is not tax deductible, but alimony is, and it is paid with pre-tax dollars. It counts as a deduction to you as the payor and as income to the payee. This is a simple way to write off what you pay to your former spouse each month through your taxes, and get relief through the IRS.

Find more tips and tricks in the Fathers' Rights Protection System by Dennis Gac!