Oh - as an afterthought. If you deducted it, she’d have to count it as income, too, and pay taxes on it. If you “deduct” it from your voluntary payments, she’s getting no penalty other than what the IRS would’ve imposed on her as well (though, perhaps, at a different tax rate).
IIRC, even though both of us were making squat at the time (he may have been making slightly more, but I was a SAHM who started working part-time when he became unemployed, and finally got to full time…in retail…barely over minimum wage) he paid support because he wanted out, and was leaving me with two soon-to-be teens to support, and rent to pay, while he got to live rent-free with his new honey…and he was going to be called up by the Reserves and making decent money soon. Since he wasn’t making much at the time of the dissolution, he had to pay the monthly minimum of child support…$200 a month for each kid, and $200 for me…so $600 a month. Cheapest rent was $750 a month in our area.
He told me in August (after being gone for 9 months) that he needed to be divorced by Christmas (someone gave him an ultimatum) and we were divorced by November 9…so barely three months. Would have been quicker if we hadn’t had to wait for the state-mandated class on how to prepare your children for divorce…
If you were considering doing this, KneadToKnow, don’t.
Two acres and a cow.
Oh, wait, wrong law.
I might think that this is funny in a few more months. Sorry…