Voluntary Underemployment & Child Support (or Roy’s Very Bad Day)

In a prior post discussing dischargeability of a Dodge Durango Debt from a Divorce, I said that in the case, Howard v Howard, 2008-CA-001059-MR (June 12, 2009)(to be published) the Kentucky Court of Appeals addressed two important domestic support obligation issues. This post reveals that second issue.

As we saw before, Roy lost his argument that the deficiency judgment debt on his Dodge Durango was discharged through bankruptcy. As to his ex-wife Sondra, he remained responsible for the payments because it was agreed to and decreed through the divorce. That made it non-dischargeable as a domestic support obligation and so Sondra could pursue payment through contempt proceedings.

Now, Roy also had left a nice paying job as a federal prison guard claiming a medical reason. Apparently it was not a very good medical reason (or he failed to prove it up) because the trial court determined that his new employment at half his former wages was voluntary. Because it was deemed a voluntary reduction in pay, Roy was ordered to keep paying the same child support as before while earning half the amount of wages as before. He wouldn’t even be able to put gas in the tank of a Durango now.

In order to modify child support, the movant must show “a material change in circumstances that is substantial and continuing.” KRS 403.213. Judges have considerable discretion to decide whether a job change resulting in much less income is voluntary or involuntary. If it is voluntary then that person does not get a break on the child support.

But what if Roy really had a medical problem and could not longer work at the federal prison? Well, if his medical condition was legitimate, and it may have been, then there should have been a trail of documentation that was produced as evidence to the court. If Roy had that evidence, then he needed to pull it together and convince the judge. This is where it actually saves money in the long run to invest in having a good attorney. A good attorney would have either told Roy he was wasting his time because an ingrown toe-nail won’t convice the court, or she would have made sure the evidence was there.

Unfortunately, losing on the Durango Debt and losing on the reduction of child support did not end his very bad day. Roy also had to pay $500.00 towards Sondra’s legal fees. I mean no offense to any of my colleagues that may have represented Roy, and if Roy reads this I am sorry if it seems I am rubbing salt in the wounds, but had he invested in legal counsel knowledgeable in bankruptcy and family law, he could have saved a heap of money in the long run.

Child Support Intricacy: Tax credits

The Court of Appeals addresses the treatment of a couple of different tax credits in determining income for child support calculations in the to be published decision Brausch v. Brausch, 2007-CA-002198-ME (Sept. 12, 2008). The appellant, James Brausch, argued that the Earned Income Credit and the additional Child Tax Credit that his ex-wife, Tracy, received in 2006 should count as income for her.

One would have to have all the income figures and plug them into the Kentucky child support worksheet to know how exactly James would benefit from the inclusion of these tax credits. Adding income to either side of the equation can raise the overall support obligation, but also changes the percentage each party would be responsible to pay. So, one can assume that James percentage would be lowered enough to decrease his obligation.

The Kentucky child support definition of income in KRS 403.212 is very broad, but benefits from means-tested public assistance programs are specifically excluded as income. The Court determined that the Earned Income Tax Credit is a public assistance benefit because it is treated as a dollar for dollar payment of tax. Rather than just reducing one’s tax liability, it could actually result in a refund. They also determined it was means-tested because it is directed towards the neediest of families. For example, it is phased out for families with two or more qualifying children at just $11,600.00 earned income. So, the Court held that the Earned Income Credit should not be included as income.

The Child Tax Credit received different treatment by the Court. They point to the $110,000.00 ceiling for receiving this credit so it cannot qualify for exclusion from income as a means-tested public assistance benefit. However, the Court determined that because the Child Tax Credit is determined by and tied to the dependent child exemptions, it is not income. Basically, the Court treated the Child Tax Credit as an extension of the dependent child exemptions which have traditionally been within the discretion of the trial court to allocate between parents. In this particular matter, Tracy had already been awarded the dependent child deductions for the year in question, so she was allowed to keep the $3000.00 she recieved but not include the amount as income.

In going forward in this case and as a guide for others, the Court favors equally dividing such deductions in a simple and straightforward manner. This can be accomplished with an even number of children by assigning each parent one-half of the deductions each year or by rotating the deductions from year to year.

Income in divorce is not the same as with the IRS

People typically think of income in terms of how the IRS defines income, even when it comes to divorce. This makes sense because we deal with income and IRS on an annual basis (except certain notable celebrities) while we deal with divorce, if at all, only once (again with certain celebrities excepted). However, they are not defined exactly the same.

In the recently released Kentucky Supreme Court case, Gripshover v. Gripshover, (2005-SC-000729-DG & 2006-SC-000258-DG)(Feb. 21, 2008)(to be published), , one particular difference is illuminated. The IRS provides for certain business expenses to be fully depreciated (expensed) in the year of the expense rather than depreciated over time. 26 USC Sec. 179. The Gripshover Court held that KRS 403.212 provides only for straight line depreciation. This means that the IRS reported income will often be lower than the income used for determining child support in divorce cases where a business owner is one of the spouses.

It also means that the days of relying on a business owner’s 1040 with the various self-employment schedules to show income is gone. CPA’s will be needed who understand the difference definition of income in divorce in order to determine child support.