Did the IRS take YOUR refund to satisfy your SPOUSE'S debt? (The Injured Spouse Allocation)

One of the problems that keeps spouse's filing separately is that one spouse had tax, child support, or student loan debt that results in the couple's entire joint refund being taken to satisfy the debt.
Such a spouse is known as an "Injured Spouse," and this video tells you how an "injured spouse" can claim his or her portion of a joint refund, even after the IRS has already taken it!
0:00 Introduction
0:34 What is an "Injured Spouse?"
2:48 The Injured Spouse Allocation (with an example)
7:06 Conclusion
For more about the advantages and disadvantages of filing jointly v. separately, click here: • Married Filing Joint v...
For more about the American Opportunity Credit, click here: • The American Opportuni...
To learn the difference between refundable and non-refundable tax credits, click here: • Refundable v. Non-refu...
Additional Resources and Information:
IRS Form 8379: "Injured Spouse Allocation": www.irs.gov/pu...
IRC Rev. Proc. 25.18.5 "Injured Spouse" (show how the IRS generally makes the allocation): www.irs.gov/ir...
IRS Publication 555: "Community Property": www.irs.gov/pu...
Investopedia: "What Is Form 8379: Injured Spouse Allocation? Definition": www.investoped...
The Tax Geek on Twitter: www.twitter.com@taxgeekusa
The Tax Geek on Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/askataxgeek
Image/Video Sources:
Storyblocks.com
The images of "Earnest," "Winifred," "Mackenzie," and "Allison" were generated by thispersondoesnotexist.com (stability.ai) and any resemblance between these images and any person, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended. No other artificial intelligence was used to research, write, animate, voice, or edit this video
Intro Music: "Bluesy Vibes" - Doug Maxwell - KZbin Audio Library
Outro Music: "Modern Attempt" - Track Tribe via KZbin Audio Library
DISCLAIMER: This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to render tax advice or financial advice for individual situations. If you have questions regarding your particular situation, please consult with a qualified tax or financial professional.
The information in this video is current as of date of publication, and is subject to changes.

[@marinagritsaeva9864]

The great video on KZbin compared to All others with full explanation and numbers, thank you!!!!

[@TheTaxGeek]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MrT6bill]

As usual, the best tax videos on KZbin! Thanks!

[@Ch3rishtheday]

Is it different in AZ because they have not honored my form for 11 years.

[@TheTaxGeek]

Arizona is a community property state and your income, deductions, withholdings, and credits (except EIC) are shared 50-50. IRS rulings and procedures are very complex, as are the community property laws of each of the nine states that are community property states. It's usually best to consult with a qualified Tax Professional in your community to make sure everything is submitted properly.

[@bpp5507]

Im so nervous about this 😬 my wife owes a ton of back child support, so each year we file separately. Because of that, im entered into a higher tax bracket, miss out on certain tax deductions and end up having to pay in every year. I feel that a joint return would guarantee i actually received some money back, but becaise of her arrears im afraod if i do file joint then the IRS will take anything im entitled, along with hers. I dont know much about doing taxes, or if i could use this "injured spouse" thing to help me

[@TheTaxGeek]

That's exactly what the "Injured Spouse" for is designed to do. It separates your income and withholdings and protects your share of any refund, while giving you the benefit of married filing jointly. If you're unsure as to how to proceed, a qualified Tax Professional in your community can assist you in preparing the form.

[@bpp5507]

@TheTaxGeek is this form available using TurboTax? My Ex Mother-in-law usually does my taxes for me, but she's been having trouble because I guess they're getting a little more complicated each year. So this year I was considering filing using TurboTax. Also, since I would qualify for more tax breaks by filing joint, would that mean I'd receive the full amount of whatever I'd get back from that, or would the amount be split and I only receive what would be considered my half of it?

[@TheTaxGeek]

First of all, I don't know if it's on TurboTax. The whole idea of filing as injured spouse is to allocate as much of the deductions and credits (such as child tax credit) to you v. your wife. You would also get credit for your withholdings.