San Diego Divorce Attorneys Blog

Valentine's Day is a romantic time in Del Mar and throughout San Diego County. The romance of this holiday can sometimes stir up old feelings between divorcing spouses. It is not uncommon for spouses going through a Del Mar divorce to send each other gifts on Valentine's Day or even to spend the day together. However, it is important to consider the legal ramifications of these acts especially with regard to the date of separation. On the other hand, newly separated spouses may be spending Valentine's Day with a new significant other for the first time in a while. Before substantial gifts are given to a new love interest or money is spent on a lavish trip, it is important to also consider how these acts may impact your divorce proceeding in Del Mar.

The date of separation is an important consideration in many divorces. The marital estate is the property divided upon divorce. Property can only be accumulated in the martial estate between the date of marriage and the date of separation. Thus, once spouses decide to end their marriage, they stop accumulating any community assets. In order for a separation to occur, the spouses must physically separate (live apart) with the simultaneous intent never to resume the marital relationship. As Del Mar divorce attorneys understand, only one spouse is necessary to establish the requisite intent to end the marriage.

Read more about date of separation from Del Mar divorce lawyer Nancy Bickford

Depending on the assets in the martial estate, a dispute regarding date of separation can have enormous financial consequences. In order to determine which spouse is correct regarding the date of separation, the court will consider the conduct of the parties. One of the factors considered by the court is whether the spouses gave each other gifts or spent holidays together. If Husband and his attorney allege the parties separated January 1, 2010, the same year he earned a $100,000 bonus at work, that bonus would be his separate property. However, if Wife can show that Husband sent her flowers and a romantic card on Valentine's Day in 2011, her divorce lawyer can use this as evidence that they in fact separated much later and she will be entitled to half of Husband's 2010 bonus.

Under the Family Code, which governs the divorce process in Del Mar, spouses are not permitted to gift community property without the written consent of the other spouse. While both spouses are entitled to manage and control community funds, gifting community property is not considered a function of a spouses right to "manage and control" community funds. If a separated spouse intends to purchase any lavish gifts for a new significant other, he or she should be careful only to use separate property funds for this purchase.

In Del Mar, the divorce process can be complex, and selecting a qualified and knowledgeable divorce attorney is exceptionally important. Please contact us if you are considering a divorce from your spouse, a legal separation, or have questions regarding child custody and visitation. Nancy J. Bickford is the only attorney in San Diego County representing clients in divorces, who is a Certified Family Law Specialist (CFLS) and who is actively licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Don't settle for less when determining your rights. Call 858-793-8884 for more information about the consultation process.

It is that time of year when you need to file your income taxes and we want you to be informed. Your filing status for taxes depends partly on your marital status on the last day of the year. If you were still legally married (meaning there is no final divorce decree) as of December 31, 2011 you are considered to have been married for the full year and must file as either married filing jointly or married filing separately. For federal tax purposes, "marriage" currently only means a legal union between a man and a woman as husband and wife. Your filing status is important and is used for many things on your tax return, such as determining your standard deduction, whether you need to file a return, the amount of tax you owe, and whether you qualify for various deductions and credits. When it comes to your filing status, you do have options.

Married Filing Jointly

If you are still legally married, you and your spouse can file a joint tax return. Married couples do not have to be living together to file jointly. If you file a joint return you both must include all your income, exemptions, deductions, and credits on that return. Even if you or your spouse had no income or deductions, you can still file a joint return. You must balance taxes due against your risk of being jointly and separately liable for taxes, interest, and penalties on a joint return. If you question whether your spouse is reporting all income, or have little or no knowledge of your spouse's income and finances, discuss this issue with legal counsel before signing a joint return. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can hold you liable for all taxes due on a jointly filed return, as well as penalties and interest, even if your spouse alone earned the underlying income.

Married Filing Separately

Legally married couples can also file "married filing separate" whether they live together or not. If you and your spouse file separate returns, you should each report only your own income, exemptions, deductions, and credits on your individual return. You can file a separate return even if only one of you had income. However, the married filing separately status rarely works to lower the family tax bill. For example, one major disadvantage is that you can't have one spouse itemize and claim all the deductions while the other claims the standard deduction. Both husband and wife must either itemize or use the standard deduction. You can't mix and match. So if one spouse itemizes and the other has nothing to itemize, that spouse would not then be able to claim the standard deduction, which might have reduced the amount of taxes owed.

Another disadvantage with "married filing separate" filers is that they can no longer take any relevant exclusions, credits, or deductions for adoption or education expenses. Likewise, various exclusion and exemption amounts will be cut for child and dependent care expenses, employer dependent care assistance, and alternative minimum tax. Here are some examples if you file separate returns with your spouse:

• You cannot take the Earned Income Credit.
• You cannot take the Child and Dependent Care Credit in most cases.
• You cannot exclude any interest income from U.S. savings bonds that you used for education expenses.
• You cannot take the Credit for the Elderly or Disabled unless you lived apart from your spouse all year.
• You may owe more taxes on Social Security income or railroad retirement benefits than if you filed jointly.
• You cannot deduct interest paid on student loans.
• You cannot take any education credits.
• You cannot take an exclusion for adoption expenses or the Adoption Credit in most cases.

Benefits of filing under this status include only having liability for the tax, interest, and penalties on your own return. The IRS would not pursue you for your spouse's tax obligation for that same year. If the return is filed electronically, any refund due can be divided up and directly deposited by the IRS in up to three different separate accounts. Note, however, that some financial institutions will not allow a refund for a joint return to be deposited into an individual account, so if this option is being considered, the taxpayer should check with his or her bank.

Continue reading "How will divorce affect my income taxes in California?" »

Why Would Anyone Delay Their Official Divorce Date?

Yahoo News reported that on Thursday, February 10, 2011, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Hank Goldberg finalized Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller Sheen's divorce, however, the Sheen's will not be officially divorced (i.e., legally single) until May 2, 2011. AP reported on February 15, 2011, that Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman finalized their divorce but the judgment will not become official until April 15, 2011.

In California, there is statutory six-month waiting period before a divorce judgment can be final for the purpose of terminating a marital relationship. California Family Code Section 2339. In both cases, the delay is because the six-month waiting period has not expired. Sheen filed for divorce in November, thus their marriage cannot be dissolved until May. Aguilera filed for divorce in October, thus her marriage cannot be dissolved until April.

For many of our San Diego clients, the day they become legally single cannot come quickly enough. However, the six-month statutory waiting period is not the only reason soon-to-be-divorced couples may decide to delay their official divorce date. Two other common reasons are health insurance and tax planning purposes.

Health insurance may come into play when one spouse has great insurance through his or her employment. After a divorce is granted, most health insurance plans do not allow a employee spouse to cover their former spouse. Although the non-covered spouse may apply for COBRA coverage, it is often more expensive than the cost of the insurance coverage to the employee spouse.

For example, let's assume that: (1) the non-covered spouse has an upcoming surgery with rehabilitation that will take nine months; (2) the cost of insurance is $200 per month for the employee spouse, and (3) the cost of COBRA will be $1,200/mo for the non-covered spouse. The parties' may decide to delay entry of judgment for nine months until the non-covered spouses rehabilitation has ended, thus saving the non-covered spouse $10,800. In exchange for delaying the divorce and keeping the non-covered spouse on the insurance, the employee spouse may have negotiated a reduction of spousal support for the nine month period he or she is providing the health insurance.

Another scenario is if one spouse just started a new job and has a three month waiting period before their new health insurance coverage begins. The parties' may delay the date of their divorce for three months until the party's new insurance begins.

With regard to tax planning purposes, sometimes the parties' accountant will recommend they delay their divorce date until after December 31st, especially if there are significant tax benefits to each party.