IRS Innocent Spouse Relief: a Workable Option?

By Neil Schmucker

It was my assumption that after the divorce, any of my ex-husband's back taxes, fines, and penalties are no longer my responsibilities. The IRS, he explained, was not under the obligation to honor the divorce decree. We were married and filing our taxes jointly when the problems occurred, so the IRS saw me as equally responsible.

Before accepting the fact that I owe the IRS money on behalf of my ex-husband, I did some research to alleviate me from any unwanted responsibility. 3. Equitable Relief - Tax relief for underpayment of tax if the other two will not be met.

As you can imagine, there was more mumbo-jumbo to read about each of the three points, and I was already confused enough. I decided that this was one of those times in my life when it would be worth it to find a professional.

After getting over the divorce, I started thinking if the IRS would be after me for my ex-husband's tax problems. I was quite relieved after discovering a website that made me clearly understand so I immediately called and set up for an appointment.

Clint provided me an explanation where the IRS had set up provisions for spouses who were caught in situations such as mine on our first meeting. There is a possibility that I would not be accountable for all tax liability if I would be meeting all or one of the points of the "innocent spouse", where I can apply for relief under the criteria set up by the IRS.

As for my situation, I was able to prove that we both filed a joint tax return when we were married, however, my husband made some errors on the documents that I was not aware of and was just told to sign them. It was a great feeling to know that a professional in the field believed in me and shared my view that I should not be held accountable for the mistakes of my former husband.

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