The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), enacted by Congress last December, has created jobs for many individuals. It has also created additional work related to the issue of alimony for family law attorneys.
As interpreted under our New Jersey divorce statute, one spouse may be obligated to support the other spouse by the payment of alimony. The payments made by one spouse to the other which met the Internal Revenue Code definition of alimony would be deductible by the payer on his or her federal income tax return and included as taxable income to the recipient. This remains the case for alimony agreements or settlements signed prior to the end of 2018.
However, beginning in 2019, Congress has changed the rules. Payments made pursuant to an agreement or Court Order reached or entered after December 31, 2018 will no longer be deductible by the payer nor will they need to be claimed as income by the recipient. This major change in the tax law will not change the tax treatment of any payments made pursuant to an agreement which was entered prior to the end of calendar 2018.