Author: Paul Richardson

Some tax experts are projecting a rise in the divorce this year as spouses who have to pay alimony may be able to have a deduction before it is eliminated. The Trump administration’s new tax law does not allow spouses paying alimony to take a deduction. However, spouses receiving alimony will no longer have to report the funds as income. The country’s tax code has allowed alimony to be deducted since 1942. Many divorce experts are concerned the changes in the tax code will make the legal process of divorce more difficult. They also believe it will be harder to have agreements including spousal support.

What is Changing?

 According to a USA Today news report, these changes will apply to any divorce that is filed after December 31, 2018. Currently, the law is the opposite. Spouses who have to pay alimony can report it as an deduction. However, recipients of alimony have to report it as an income. Divorce lawyers argue the current set up helps both parties to afford living separately because it saves money overall. Supporters of the new tax code say the current law is really a divorce grant. They think this because divorcees can have better tax outcomes. The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation sees that getting rid of the deduction will add nearly $7 billion in new tax revenue over the next decade.

Who Gets Alimony?

Government statistics vary on how many people actually get alimony each year. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 250,000 people received alimony last year. With 98% of them being female. The Internal Revenue Service, reports more than 360,000 taxpayers claiming a paying out a total of $9.6 billion in alimony in 2015. Only 178,000 reported receiving spousal support that same year. Also, child support payments are separate and apart from alimony. Some divorces involve only child support, while others involve both child support and alimony. America’s divorce rate was at its highest in the early 1980’s. It has been steadily declining since. Federal statistics show that more than 813,000 couples divorced in 2014. Notably, child support is not a tax-deductible for the payer nor is it taxable for the recipient.

Seek an Attorney’s Advice

If you or someone you know has questions about the changes in the tax code and how it affects your divorce, or you are presently facing divorce and have questions, contact a knowledgeable attorney today.

Here at Elizabeth Gallo, we love to explore apps to help create balance for our clients and colleagues working in the Legal Industry. Thus, we understand while maintaining our personal agendas, work can become intense as part of the process. Thus, some tasks, such as exhibit and transcript management can be overwhelming . Today, we explore an app that will help you overlook crucial documents in one place and at any place.

This week’s Legal app is iAnnotate.

iAnnotate is an app  that allows you to look and write up on various documents like exhibits. This cool app works with all kinds of documents. This includes PDF, DOC, XLS, PPT, IMAGE, and Web files. Also with iAnnotate, you can access documents through iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, and Box.

This user friendly app also comes along with other neat features. For example, if using an iPad, the app automatically senses your pencil for instant annotation. Another cool feature is that it allows an user to easily zoom or scroll with their fingers without having to deal with pesky switch tool options.

What makes iAnnotate even more useful, that it features of a variety of annotating tools. These tools involve pen, highlighter, typewriter, stamp, straight line, notes, underline, strikeout, date stamp, and more. It also lets users save their markups, which can be seen by outside parties.

Lastly, iAnnotate works well with Elizabeth Gallo’s Repository Software, YesLaw.

iAnnotate can be download on any iOs device for $9.99.

Our spotlight series will be focus on what makes our Staff and Court Reporters amazing and unique!

This week’s spotlight is our Legal Videographer, Chelsea!

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

Caution….. Try something safe…this will either kill you or have you addicted #opioideffect

What is the one thing you cannot resist?

Smoothies

Do you have a favorite quote?

“Want to hide important information from someone? Put it in a book.”

What is the first concert you attended?

Alicia Keys

Who is your favorite band/artist?  

Lauryn Hill and Miguel

Where would you like to go on a dream vacation?

Hawaii

Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?

Columbiana

If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be?

Dad, son, husband, and Oprah

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Invest in in 529 for my son, invest in index or mutual fund or buy some shares in stock, and invest in properties

What’s your favorite movie?

The Notebook

What animal best represents you, and why?

A Dolphin… A Free spirit and I enjoy my freedom.

What do you think of the most each day? 

Ways to improve

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?

1986 (baby days)

What three traits define you?

Cool, strong-willed, and ambitious

Tell us something that might surprise us about you:

I’m a homebody most of the time.

At Elizabeth Gallo, our Transcript services are beyond traditional services. To be more specific, we do not only offer hard copies, but also, PDF versions. We believe it is best to offer choices. Therefore, it is important to understand some of our clients prefer hard copies, others desire PDF copies, and some want both.

With all of this mind, we want to explore why PDF versions are beneficial. For example, PDF Transcripts are able to be open at anytime,  no need to carry transcripts around, and lastly, going paperless, and helps the environment!

PDF transcripts does have benefits. However, we understand there might be questions that come up. Do not worry, Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting has you covered. Below are some tips on working with the PDF version. Take a look:

PDF Transcript Tips

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

Download [905.42 KB]

At the end of the day,  it does not matter if you go PDF or hard copy with your transcripts. Why? Because Elizabeth Gallo Court Reporting will provide the best customer service and will work hard to fulfill your requests.

Contact Us Today!