Tax Deductions Hidden in Chapter 13

True. Most people no longer itemize under the current Tax Code. However, the amount of money involved varies and should be considered.

The same very important debts that a Chapter 13 plan pays are often tax deductible.

And your client is still the person who’s paying, even if the trustee writes the check. Don’t allow them to miss out on these deductions.

Tax deductions in bankruptcy

Let’s look at some common deductions lurking in the Chapter 13 disbursements.

Mortgage interest

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Cathy Moran, Esq.

Head of Moran Law Group

Cathy Moran has headed her own small firm Moran Law Group in Redwood City, California, for nearly 30 years. Family law and tax issues as they play out in bankruptcy are areas of particular interest to Cathy.

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Lloyd T. Kraus was appointed as a Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Eastern District of Texas on August 1, 2019. While Kraus loves his job, he would much rather still be serving as a staff attorney to his best friend and mentor John Talton. Talton was tragically killed in a traffic accident in October of 2018. Kraus received his...

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Report of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy

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By William Houston Brown, Co-chair of the Commission and Adviser to the Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education The Report of the Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy for improvements to the consumer bankruptcy system was made public on April 11, 2019. The full report is available free by download from the American Bankruptcy Institute’s website, www.abi.org. The following Foreward to the Report...

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Henry E. Hildebrand, III

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By Cathy Moran, Esq., Moran Law Group (Redwood City, CA) On its face, Diaz (Diaz v. Viegelahn, No. 19-50982 (5th Cir. Aug. 26, 2020)) is a pretty straightforward decision that struck down a local form plan as violating a below-median income debtor's right to use her tax refund to finance necessary expenses for maintenance and support. On a deeper level,...

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Critical Case Comment – You Might as Well Plan for the Wrecked Car

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

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Cathy Moran

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The bankruptcy means test, designed to keep people out of bankruptcy, has a fatal weakness. . . . it’s health care.

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Senior Moments

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By Peter Fessenden, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee, Retired September 30, 2017 (Portland, ME) To everything there is a season. There was a time to discover how little I knew about being a Chapter 13 trustee. There was a time to make mistakes. There was a time to address those mistakes. There was a time to solve problems. There was a...

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