Legal Question in Family Law in California

Re: Family Support

Child support is money one parent pays to the other for support of the child(ren). It is non-taxable to the receiving parent and non-deductible to the paying parent.

Spousal support is money that is paid from one spouse to the other. It is taxable to the party receiving it and tax-deductible to the party paying it.

Family support is a hybrid -- it is for support for the entire family until (i.e., custodial parent and children). It is taxable to the receiving party and deductible to the paying party.

There are some things that have to be watched for to make sure that family support and/or spousal support do not become an issue for the IRS.

Family support is usually a better method of payment if the total amount of money paid to the IRS is less than if the amounts were separated between child support and spousal support.