Federal and Wisconsin

Income Tax Reporting

Under the Marital
Property Act

Publication 113 (02/23)

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
1. BACKGROUND ...............................................................................................................................................3
2. TERMS USED IN THIS PUBLICATION ................................................................................................................4
3. SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN WISCONSIN .............................................................................................................6
4. INCOME, DEDUCTIONS, CREDITS AND TAX PAYMENTS ....................................................................................7
A. Reporting Marital Property Income ......................................................................................................................................7
B. Exception to Marital Property Reporting - Innocent Spouse ..............................................................................................12
(1) Innocent Spouse ..........................................................................................................................................................12
(2) Innocent Spouse and Collection from Community Property .......................................................................................12
(3) Section 66 ....................................................................................................................................................................12
(4) Section 66(a) ................................................................................................................................................................13
(5) Section 66(c) Traditional Relief ....................................................................................................................................13
(6) Section 66(c) Equitable Relief ......................................................................................................................................14
(7) Section 66(c) Other Concerns ......................................................................................................................................19
(8) Section 66(b) ................................................................................................................................................................19
(9) Filing Returns and Uncooperative Spouses .................................................................................................................19
(10) Retroactive Divorce Decrees........................................................................................................................................20
C. Estimated Tax Payments .....................................................................................................................................................24
D. Marital Property Agreements .............................................................................................................................................24
E. Divorce ................................................................................................................................................................................26
F. Alimony or Separate Maintenance .....................................................................................................................................28
G. Payment of Taxes ................................................................................................................................................................28
H. Deductions ..........................................................................................................................................................................29
(1) Itemized Deductions ....................................................................................................................................................29
(2) Exemptions for Dependents ........................................................................................................................................30
(3) Casualty Loss Deductions.............................................................................................................................................30
(4) Bad Debt Deductions ...................................................................................................................................................30
(5) Deductions for Contributions to Traditional IRAs ........................................................................................................30
(6) Charitable Deductions .................................................................................................................................................31
(7) Business Expenses .......................................................................................................................................................31
I. Self-Employment Taxes .......................................................................................................................................................31
J. Earned Income Credit .........................................................................................................................................................32
K. Child Care Credit .................................................................................................................................................................33
5. COLLECTION OF DELINQUENT TAXES ............................................................................................................33
A. Delinquent Taxes and the Marital Property Act .................................................................................................................33
B. Delinquent Taxes Arising Before the Determination Date .................................................................................................34
C. Delinquent Taxes Arising After the Determination Date ....................................................................................................36
D. Bankruptcy Marital Property Implications ..........................................................................................................................37
E. Refund Offset Program .......................................................................................................................................................38
(1) Joint Return..................................................................................................................................................................41
(2) Separate or Individual Return ......................................................................................................................................41
F. Offers in Compromise .........................................................................................................................................................42
6. FEDERAL TAX BASIS ......................................................................................................................................42
7. S CORPORATIONS ........................................................................................................................................44
8. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION .........................................................................................................................45
Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

1. BACKGROUND
Federal Treatment

On January 1, 1986, Wisconsin joined eight other states (Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico,
Texas, and Washington) as a jurisdiction whose laws are administered under the community property concept. The
Wisconsin Marital Property Act creates a type of property under state law that is referred to as marital property.

In this publication, the "Federal Treatment" reflects the interpretations of Wisconsin's Marital Property Act by
the Milwaukee office of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the "Wisconsin Treatment" reflects the
interpretations by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue as of January 1, 2023. Federal and state laws enacted
after this date, new federal regulations and rulings, new state administrative rules, and federal and state court
decisions may change the interpretations in this publication.
The Department of Revenue acknowledges the Milwaukee office of the IRS for writing the "Federal Treatment"
portion of this publication.

The IRS has ruled that marital property in Wisconsin is a form of community property and is to be treated that way
for tax purposes. [Rev. Rul. 87-13] While the Marital Property Act indirectly affects everyone who lives in Wisconsin,
it only directly affects the property of married individuals.

The date that married couples become subject to the Marital Property Act is referred to as the "determination date."
[See sec. 766.01(5), Wis. Stats.] This is the date after all of the following have occurred: the date of marriage,
January 1, 1986 (the effective date of the Act), and the date both spouses become domiciled in Wisconsin.
"Domicile" is a legal concept that, in this context, is similar to establishing permanent legal residency.

Although there are exceptions, property acquired by spouses after the determination date is marital property.
[Sec. 766.31(1), (2), and (4), Wis. Stats.; see also the exceptions in sec. 766.31(7), Wis. Stats.] As will be discussed,
the statute gives each spouse an undivided half interest in marital property. [Sec. 766.31(3), Wis. Stats.] The Act
does not, by itself, change the character of property owned by spouses prior to the effective date of the Act, prior
to both spouses establishing a Wisconsin domicile, or prior to the marriage. [Sec. 766.31(6) and (9), Wis. Stats.]
Property owned by a spouse prior to marriage is their individual property. [Sec. 766.31(6), Wis. Stats.] Property
owned by a spouse prior to January 1, 1986, or prior to both spouses establishing a Wisconsin domicile is not
reclassified but is treated as if it were individual property. [Sec. 766.31(9), Wis. Stats.] Property can be reclassified
in several different ways under the Act. The simplest way is by entering into a marital property agreement.
[Sec. 766.31(10), Wis. Stats.]

Community property has historically been subject to special treatment under the tax laws. [See Poe v. Seaborn,
282 U.S. 101 (1930).] The adoption of marital property law in Wisconsin affects the reporting, payment, and
collection of income taxes. The effect of the Marital Property Act on federal taxation is complex. There is no way
that it can be thoroughly addressed in this type of publication. The purpose of this publication is merely to provide
general guidance. We have cited legal authority (both statutory and case law), as appropriate, in brackets [ ] for
some of the rules that are stated in this publication. For further information, these sources can be consulted.

Wisconsin Treatment

As part of marital property reform, Wisconsin adopted the concept of joint income tax returns for married persons.
Under prior law, each spouse was required to report their own income separately, either on separate forms or in
separate columns on the same form (called a "combined" return). Joint returns simplify income tax filing for most
married couples. If spouses do file separately, the income that each spouse must report is determined under marital
property law rather than under common law. Because marital property law does not address many income tax
issues, the reporting of income on separate returns may be difficult.

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Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

2. TERMS USED IN THIS PUBLICATION

Common Law Property System - Under the common law property system, property acquired during marriage
generally belongs to the spouse who acquired the property. The title to property generally determines ownership
of property between spouses. A spouse owns and has complete control over property titled in that spouse's name.
A spouse owns the income from their own property. For tax purposes, the title to property determines what income
is reportable by each spouse on separate returns filed while domiciled in a common law property state.

Marital Property System - Under the marital property system, property acquired during marriage generally belongs
to both spouses equally. The spouses are equal partners, whether each contributes money or services or both to
the marriage, and both spouses will share equally all property acquired during the marriage, except property that
one spouse alone inherits or receives as a gift from another person. Generally, the spouses own equally what either
earns or buys and the income from property owned by either of them. However, a spouse has the right to manage
and control property titled in their own name and property titled in neither spouse's name. Under the marital
property system, the classification of property generally determines ownership of property between spouses. In the
absence of an agreement or court order, the classification of property is based on when and how the property was
acquired. The classification of the property also determines what income is reportable by each spouse on separate
income tax returns while domiciled in Wisconsin.

Note: This publication often refers to "income earned by a spouse" or "the spouse's earnings." However, the income
produced by a spouse's efforts or property is treated as if it were earned by both spouses under the Marital Property
Act.

Determination Date - Wisconsin's marital property law applies to spouses after the "determination date." The
determination date is the last to occur of the following [sec. 766.01(5), Wis. Stats.]:
• January 1, 1986
• Date of marriage
• Date both spouses establish a Wisconsin domicile

Note: Wisconsin's marital property law generally applies for all purposes only while both spouses are domiciled in
Wisconsin.

Domicile - A person's domicile is their true, fixed, and permanent home where they intend to remain permanently
and indefinitely and to which, whenever absent, they intend to return.

Classification of Property - Under the marital property law, all property that spouses acquire after the
determination date is generally classified as "marital property" or "individual property." Note that these rules may
not apply for purposes of determining the basis of property upon the death of a spouse. For more information on
basis, see Part 6 on page 42.

Marital Property - Marital property is all property classified as marital property and all property acquired by either
spouse after the determination date, unless it is otherwise classified by the marital property law. [Sec. 766.31(1),
Wis. Stats.] The law presumes that all property owned by spouses is marital property. [Sec. 766.31(2), Wis. Stats.]
Any person who contends that certain property isn't marital property must prove that the property's classification
is something else. Each spouse has a present, undivided one-half ownership interest in each item of marital
property. [Sec. 766.31(3), Wis. Stats.]

Marital property generally includes:

• Income earned or accrued by a spouse or derived from marital property and nonmarital property owned by a
spouse during the marriage and after the determination date.

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Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

"Income" means wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, gratuities, payments in kind, deferred employment
benefits, proceeds other than death benefits of any health, accident, or disability insurance policy or of any plan,
fund, program, or other arrangement providing benefits similar to those forms of insurance, other economic
benefits having value attributable to the effort of a spouse, dividends, dividends on life insurance and annuity
contracts to the extent that the aggregate of the dividends exceeds the aggregate premiums paid, interest,
income distributed from trusts and estates, and net rents and other net returns attributable to investment,
rental, licensing, or other use of property, unless attributable to a return of capital or to appreciation.
[Sec. 766.01(10), Wis. Stats.]
• The substantial increase in value of nonmarital property which resulted from the substantial efforts of either
spouse that weren't reasonably compensated. [Sec. 766.63(2), Wis. Stats.]
• Nonmarital property that is mixed with marital property and can no longer be identified by tracing.
[Sec. 766.63(1), Wis. Stats.]

Individual Property - Individual property is property owned by one spouse alone under the marital property system.
After the determination date and during the marriage, individual property includes:

• Property acquired by one spouse by gift or inheritance during the marriage. [Sec. 766.31(7)(a), Wis. Stats.]
• Property acquired in exchange for, or with the proceeds of, individual property. [Sec. 766.31(7)(b), Wis. Stats.]
• The increase in value of individual property, except to the extent that this increase in value is classified as marital
property. [Sec. 766.31(7)(c), Wis. Stats.] (Predetermination date unclassified property is treated "as if"
individual property. [Sec. 766.31(9), Wis. Stats.])
• Income (and principal) to one spouse from a trust created by a third person, unless the trust provides otherwise.
[Sec. 766.31(7)(a), Wis. Stats.]
• Income from a gift of property from one spouse to the other spouse, unless the spouse making the gift provides
otherwise. [Sec. 766.31(10), Wis. Stats.]
• Income or property designated individual property by a marital property agreement or a court decree.
[Sec. 766.31(7)(d), Wis. Stats.]
• Income derived from the nonmarital property of a spouse which that spouse has designated in a unilateral
statement as their individual income. [Secs. 766.31(7p) and 766.59, Wis. Stats.]
• For marriages occurring after December 31, 1985, property owned at a marriage by a Wisconsin-domiciled
person. [Sec. 766.31(6), Wis. Stats.]

Unclassified Property - Property owned by spouses before their determination date isn't classified by the Marital
Property Act. Such unclassified property is treated as if individual property during the marriage. At death, property
of the decedent spouse acquired during the marriage and before the determination date, which would have been
marital property if acquired after the determination date, is treated as if it were marital property for certain elective
rights of the surviving spouse.

Mixed Property - If marital property is mixed with any other type of property, the other type of property becomes
marital property, unless that other type of property can be traced. This mixing rule doesn't apply for income tax
basis purposes for property held in joint tenancy or tenancy in common. See Part 6 on page 42 for more information.

Marital Property Agreement - A marital property agreement is an agreement solely between spouses. The
agreement must be in writing, and it must be signed by both spouses. It remains in effect until replaced by another
marital property agreement. [Sec. 766.58, Wis. Stats.] The law provides special forms for "statutory property
classification agreements." Spouses may use these agreements to classify their marital property as the individual
property of the owning spouse or to classify all of their property as marital property. If there is no disclosure of
assets and liabilities, the agreement terminates three years after the date both spouses sign the agreement.
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Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

However, if the spouses complete the disclosure form which is provided as an attachment to the agreement form,
the agreement is effective until dissolution of the marriage or death. Either spouse may, however, terminate a
statutory property classification agreement unilaterally. [Secs. 766.588 and 766.589, Wis. Stats.]

Unilateral Statement - A unilateral statement is a document affecting the income from nonmarital property. The
statement must be in writing, signed by the spouse who owns the nonmarital property, and notarized. Within five
days after signing the statement, the spouse must deliver a copy to the other spouse. A unilateral statement applies
only to income accrued after it is signed. A unilateral statement may be revoked at any time by delivering a copy of
the revocation to the other spouse. It does not apply to earned income. [Sec. 766.59, Wis. Stats.]

3. SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN WISCONSIN

Federal Treatment

In United States v. Windsor, 570 U.S. 744 (2013), the Supreme Court struck down the provision in the Federal
Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA"), defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman as a violation of the
Fifth Amendment. In that case, the executor of a decedent who was part of a same-sex marriage in New York, a
state recognizing same-sex marriage, attempted to claim the marital deduction on a federal estate tax return for
assets passing to the surviving same-sex spouse. The IRS disallowed the deduction citing DOMA. The Supreme Court
held the DOMA provision unconstitutional and allowed the deduction.

Subsequent to the Windsor opinion, on October 6, 2014, same-sex marriage became legal in Wisconsin following
the resolution of a lawsuit challenging the state's ban on same-sex marriage. On that day, the U.S. Supreme Court
refused to hear an appeal of a federal court ruling that found Wisconsin's ban on same-sex marriage
unconstitutional. [See Wolf v. Walker, 986 F.Supp.2d 982 (W.D.Wis. Jun 06, 2014), aff'd sub. nom. Baskin v. Bogan,
766 F.3d 648 (7th Cir. Sep 04, 2014), cert. denied, Baskin v. Bogan, 135 S.Ct. 316 (Oct 06, 2014).]

Following the Supreme Court's ruling in Windsor, the IRS issued Rev. Rul. 2013-17. In that Revenue Ruling, the IRS
ruled that same-sex couples who are married in states that recognize same-sex marriage are entitled to file joint
federal income tax returns. Thus, same-sex couples who domicile in Wisconsin and are married in Wisconsin or
another state recognizing same-sex marriage may file joint returns. This also means that if they file joint returns,
they have joint and several liability for the resulting income taxes, the same as traditional married couples. IRC
§ 6013(d)(3). They may also be able to avoid joint liability through innocent spouse procedures the same as
traditional married couples.

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, 135 S. Ct. 2584 (2015), holding
that same-sex couples have the right to marry and have their marriages recognized in all states. Thus, any same-sex
couple who is married in another state and moves to Wisconsin will have their marriage recognized as a valid
marriage in Wisconsin.

This also means that these couples are now subject to the Wisconsin Marital Property Act. The rules for income
taxation and collection of taxes apply to them the same as they apply to traditional married couples. Thus, all of the
marital property issues discussed in this publication could also apply to same-sex married couples just as they could
apply to any traditional married couple.

Wisconsin Treatment

A same-sex couple that is considered lawfully married for federal income tax purposes is considered married for
Wisconsin income tax purposes, therefore the "Wisconsin Treatment" information in this publication applies to a
lawfully married same-sex couple.

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Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

4. INCOME, DEDUCTIONS, CREDITS AND TAX PAYMENTS

A. Reporting Marital Property Income

Federal Treatment

The Wisconsin Marital Property Act may change the manner of reporting income and claiming deductions on
federal income tax returns. With a few limited exceptions, the Marital Property Act provides that income earned
or accrued by a spouse after the determination date is marital property. [Sec. 766.31(4), Wis. Stats.] Income is
defined by the statute as including, among other things, wages, interest, dividends, and economic benefits
attributable to the efforts of a spouse. [Sec. 766.01(10), Wis. Stats.] Generally, interest and dividend income will
be marital property even if the property that generates the income is not marital property. For example,
dividends received after the determination date on stock purchased before the determination date would still
be marital property.

The most notable exception to the rule that all income is marital property has to do with appreciation in value
of individual property. The appreciation in value of individual property of a spouse is individual property, unless
the appreciation is substantial and attributable to substantial efforts of either spouse that were not reasonably
compensated. [Secs. 766.31(7)(c) and 766.63, Wis. Stats.] Thus, for example, if real estate purchased prior to
marriage increases in value because of market conditions, the increase in value is individual property. If,
however, the increase in value is due to the substantial efforts of one of the spouses (the application of one
spouse's industry and beyond normal maintenance), after the determination date, that were not reasonably
compensated, then the increase in value is marital property. [Secs. 766.31(7)(c) and 766.63(2), Wis. Stats.;
Estate of Kobylski v. Hellstern (In re the Estate of Kobylski), 178 Wis.2d 158 (App. 1993); Bille v. Zuraff (In re the
Estate of Bille), 198 Wis.2d 867 (App. 1995).]

Under the Act, each spouse has an undivided 50% interest in marital property. [Sec. 766.31(3), Wis. Stats.] If
spouses file a joint return, there is no tax impact from marital property law, because all income of both spouses
(including any marital property income) is reported on one return. But when spouses file separate returns, the
spouses must determine how to divide the income. In common law states, this is not difficult. Each spouse
reports their own wages or other income from their labors, and any income attributable to property he or she
owns. Under community property principles, since each spouse has a half interest in income that is marital
property, each spouse should report half of that income. [Poe v. Seaborn, 282 U.S. 101 (1930).]

The reporting of marital property income is best illustrated by the following examples:

Example 1: Spouse A and Spouse B were married during 2021. During 2022, Spouse A is unemployed and
receives no wage income. Spouse B receives wages of $20,000. Spouse B has $5,000 of withholding from wages.
In this case, if Spouse A and Spouse B file separate returns, each would report income of $10,000 (one-half of
the wages received by Spouse B). Each also would report half of the withholding.

Example 2: Spouse A and Spouse B were married during 2021. During 2022, Spouse A receives wages of
$50,000. Spouse B owns a service business and makes a profit of $80,000. Spouse A also receives interest of
$2,000 on a savings account started prior to marriage. Spouse B receives dividends of $2,500 on stock purchased
before marriage. Spouse B sells the stock for a profit of $3,000. On their separate returns, each would report
the following:

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Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

Item A B
Wages earned by Spouse A $25,000 $25,000
Business income of Spouse B 40,000 40,000
Interest 1,000 1,000
Dividends 1,250 1,250
Capital gain on stock -0- 3,000
Total income reported $67,250 $70,250

All income in this example is marital property, except for the income from the sale of the stock. This income is
not marital property, because it is appreciation in value of individual property. Yet the dividends from the same
property are marital property and should be split if separate returns are filed.

In either of the above examples, each spouse could claim half of the credit for any federal income tax withheld.
Similarly, with certain exceptions, each spouse could claim half of any deductions.

As will be discussed later, spouses can change the effect of the Marital Property Act with respect to the reporting
of income and deductions by entering into a marital property agreement.

Although splitting marital property income is the correct way to report it, filing a return in this manner could
result in future contacts from the IRS. In the examples above, a Form W-2 would be issued in the name of one
spouse alone. When a Form W-2 is sent to the IRS by the employer, it is reported as though it is entirely the
income of one spouse.

The IRS matches information received under social security or taxpayer identification numbers with filed returns
to ensure that all income is reported. In the examples above, when the matching process takes place, the Form
W-2 will not reconcile with the return, unless the return contains an explanation. If there is no explanation, the
IRS will contact the taxpayer. To avoid this contact, it is necessary to explain the discrepancy on the return. The
easiest way to do this is to use federal Form 8958, Allocation of Tax Amounts Between Certain Individuals in
Community Property States. Thus, under Example 1 on page 7, Spouse A's and Spouse B's allocation of
community property income would reflect the amounts indicated in Exhibit 1 on the next page.

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Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

EXHIBIT 1
Allocation Worksheet
1 2 3
Total Income Allocated to Allocated to
(Community/Separate) Spouse A Spouse B
1. Wages (each employer) $20,000 $10,000 $10,000

2. Interest Income (each payer)

3. Dividends (each payer)

4. State Income Tax Refund

5. Capital Gains or Losses

6. Pension Income

7. Rents, Royalties, Partnerships, Estates, Trusts

8. Taxes Withheld $5,000 $2,500 $2,500

9. Other items such as: Social Security Benefits, Business

& Farm Income or Loss, Unemployment Compensation,
Mortgage Interest Deduction, etc.

NOTES
Spouses are reporting their income and tax withholding pursuant to the Wisconsin Marital Property Act
Spouse's Name:
Spouse's SSN:

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Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

EXHIBIT 2
Spouse A's
Worksheet for Married Persons Filing Separate
Returns and Persons Divorced in 2022
Attach to your 2022 Wisconsin income tax return
Fill in your name and social security number

Total marital Marital property Other amount Total amount you

property of you amount you you are are reporting on
and your spouse are reporting reporting your 2022 return

1. Wages, salaries, tips, etc. $20,000 $10,000 -0- $10,000

2. Interest income
3. Dividends
4. Business income or (loss)
5. Capital gains or (losses)
6. Pensions, IRA distributions
and annuities
7. Rents, royalties,
partnerships, estates, trusts,
etc.
8. Farm income or (loss)
9. Unemployment
compensation
10. Social security benefits
11. Other income
12. Wisconsin taxes withheld $5,000 $2500 -0- $2500
13. Wisconsin estimated
tax payments

Check the box which explains how you are figuring the amounts to report on your 2022 Wisconsin income tax return.

I am figuring my income and withholding for 2022 based on Wisconsin's marital property law.

I became married in 2022. I am figuring my income and withholding based on Wisconsin's marital property law for the period from
to .

I became divorced in 2022. I am figuring my income and withholding based on Wisconsin's marital property law for the period
from to . My former spouse's name and social security number are
.

I was a part-year Wisconsin resident, or I was married to a part-year Wisconsin resident in 2022. I am figuring my income and with-
holding based on Wisconsin's marital property law for the period from to .

I am figuring my income and withholding to reflect a marital property agreement or unilateral statement.

Other reason-explain here. _______________________________________________________________________________________

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Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

EXHIBIT 3
Spouse B's
Worksheet for Married Persons Filing Separate
Returns and Persons Divorced in 2022
Attach to your 2022 Wisconsin income tax return
Fill in your name and social security number

Total marital Marital property Other amount Total amount you

property of you amount you you are are reporting on
and your spouse are reporting reporting your 2022 return

1. Wages, salaries, tips, etc. $20,000 $10,000 -0- $10,000

2. Interest income
3. Dividends
4. Business income or (loss)
5. Capital gains or (losses)
6. Pensions, IRA distributions
and annuities
7. Rents, royalties,
partnerships, estates, trusts,
etc.
8. Farm income or (loss)
9. Unemployment
compensation
10. Social security benefits
11. Other income
12. Wisconsin taxes withheld $5,000 $2500 -0- $2500
13. Wisconsin estimated
tax payments

Check the box which explains how you are figuring the amounts to report on your 2022 Wisconsin income tax return.

I am figuring my income and withholding for 2022 based on Wisconsin's marital property law.

I became married in 2022. I am figuring my income and withholding based on Wisconsin's marital property law for the period
from to .

I became divorced in 2022. I am figuring my income and withholding based on Wisconsin's marital property law for the period
from to . My former spouse's name and social security number are _______________________________________ .

I was a part-year Wisconsin resident, or I was married to a part-year Wisconsin resident in 2022. I am figuring my income and with-
holding based on Wisconsin's marital property law for the period from to .

I am figuring my income and withholding to reflect a marital property agreement or unilateral statement.

Other reason-explain here. _______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

Wisconsin Treatment

As for federal purposes, Wisconsin's Marital Property Act generally won't affect spouses who file a joint
Wisconsin income tax return. However, spouses who file separate Wisconsin income tax returns, or persons
who become divorced during the tax year, are likely to be affected by the Marital Property Act. Since each
spouse has an undivided 50% interest in marital property income, each spouse generally must report half of
that income on separate returns. Examples 1 and 2 above illustrate the reporting of marital property income for
Wisconsin purposes.

Married persons who file separate returns, or persons who file individually because they are divorced during
the year, are likely to be questioned if it isn't clear to the Department of Revenue how they have allocated their
income, deductions, or credits or if it appears that they haven't reported all their income. Therefore, people
who file separate or individual Wisconsin returns should enclose a copy of the Worksheet for Married Persons
Filing Separate Returns and Persons Divorced in 2022, which is included in the back of Wisconsin Publication 109,
Tax Information for Married Persons Filing Separate Returns and Persons Divorced in 2022. On this worksheet
they show how they figured the income, deductions, and credits that each is reporting.

Thus, under Example 1 on page 7, Spouse A's and Spouse B's worksheets would reflect the amounts indicated
in Exhibits 2 and 3 on pages 10 and 11.

If spouses or former spouses treat items on their separate or individual returns inconsistently, the department
will contact both in order to resolve the discrepancies. For example, the department may question a spouse
who reports one-half of the wages he or she earned but claims all the withholding from those wages.

B. Exception to Marital Property Reporting - Innocent Spouse

Federal Treatment

(1) Innocent Spouse

Where spouses file joint returns, there is limited impact of the marital property laws with respect to
innocent spouse relief. Under section 6015 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), spouses may be eligible for
relief from joint and several liability on joint returns. Determinations under this section are made without
regard to community property. [IRC sec. 6015(a).] Innocent spouse relief on joint federal income tax returns
is beyond the scope of this publication, which deals exclusively with Wisconsin marital (community)
property. For a discussion of innocent spouse relief on joint returns, please refer to IRS Publication 971,
Innocent Spouse Relief, and section 6015 of the IRC.

(2) Innocent Spouse and Collection from Community Property

It should be noted, however, that whether a spouse has received innocent spouse relief under section 6015
or section 66 of the IRC does not affect the IRS's ability to collect from the liable spouse's interest in
community property. [United States v. Stolle, 2000-1 U.S.T.C. ¶ 50,329, 86 A.F.T.R. 2d ¶ 5180 (C.D.
Cal. 2000).] For a discussion of IRS tax collection remedies under Wisconsin marital property law, see
Delinquent Taxes and the Marital Property Act - Federal Treatment, on page 33.

(3) Section 66

As discussed earlier, by virtue of the Marital Property Act, a spouse filing a separate return must report one
half of the wages earned by the other spouse as income. This can create problems when, as frequently
happens, spouses do not live together and do not communicate. Congress recognized this problem and
enacted section 66 of the IRC to deal with it.

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Federal and Wisconsin Income Tax Reporting Under the Marital Property Act Publication 113

Section 66 of the IRC suspends community (or marital) property reporting rules in certain circumstances. It
has three provisions which could affect the reporting of community property income. The first provision,
section 66(a) of the IRC, is general in effect. This means that if it applies, spouses report most community
property income as though they received it under common law rules. The second section, section 66(c) of
the IRC, is a more specific provision. It is the community property equivalent of an "innocent spouse"
provision. It removes the burden of reporting half of certain items of community property income of the
other spouse. A third provision, section 66(b) of the IRC, allows the IRS to require one spouse to report 100%
of an item of community property income. All three provisions have specific requirements that must be met
if they are to apply.

(4) Section 66(a)

Section 66(a) of the IRC provides that if all of the following occur, then community income is treated in
accordance with section 879 of the IRC:

• The spouses are married to each other at any time during the calendar year
• The spouses live apart at all times during the calendar year
• The spouses do not file a joint return for the calendar year
• One or both spouses had earned income that is community property
• No part of such earned income is transferred between the spouses during the calendar year (this does
not include child support or de minimis amounts)

This means that, for most purposes, community property income is not split between the spouses. If
section 66(a) of the IRC applies, earned income (other than trade or business income) must be reported by
the spouse who earned it. Trade or business (Schedule C) income must be reported by the spouse unless
the other spouse exercised substantially all management and control over the business. Income from a
partnership is taxed to the partner spouse. Community income derived from separate property of one
spouse is treated as the income of that spouse. All other community income is treated as provided under
the applicable state community property law. Section 66(a) of the IRC is not elective. Where it applies, its
requirements must be followed.

(5) Section 66(c) – Traditional Relief

A second provision, section 66(c) of the IRC, is not as broad and may apply to all items of community
property or only a few. This section provides that if all of the following occur, then the unreported item of
income will be taxed wholly to the other spouse, and not split:

• The spouse did not file a joint return

• The spouse did not report an item of community income attributable to the other spouse (see the
paragraph above for the categories) on an income tax return
• The spouse did not know, or have reason to know, of the item of community income
• Considering all facts and circumstances it would be inequitable to require the spouse to include the item
in gross income

This is referred to as traditional relief under section 66(c) of the IRC. Courts have interpreted the
requirement that the spouse not know or have reason to know of the community income narrowly. If a
spouse is aware that the other spouse is earning or receiving specific community income, that spouse will
not qualify for relief under section 66(c) of the IRC. A spouse with such knowledge has "reason to know" of
the community income. It does not matter that the spouse does not know how much income was earned.

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[Hardy v. Commissioner, 181 F.3d 1002 (9th Cir. 1999); McGee v. Commissioner, 979 F.2d 66 (5th Cir. 1993);
and Horner v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 1994-447.]

Relief under section 66(c) of the IRC is elective. A requesting spouse seeking relief under section 66(c) of the
IRC must file Form 8857, Request for Innocent Spouse Relief, or other similar statement signed under
penalties of perjury, within the applicable statute of limitations.

(6) Section 66(c) – Equitable Relief

The IRS may still relieve a taxpayer of liability for any unpaid tax or any deficiency or any portion thereof
attributable to an item of community (marital) income for which relief is not available under section 66(c)
of the IRC, if taking into account all the facts and circumstances, it is inequitable to hold the taxpayer liable.
[IRC § 66(c).] This is referred to as equitable relief under section 66(c) of the IRC. In making this
determination, Rev. Proc. 2013-34 should be consulted. This revenue procedure sets out the IRS's
requirements for equitable relief under section 66(c) of the IRC. They are summarized here.

A requesting spouse must satisfy all of the following threshold conditions to be eligible to submit a request
for equitable relief under section 66(c) of the IRC. The IRS may relieve a requesting spouse who satisfies all
the applicable threshold conditions set forth below of all or part of the income tax liability under
section 66(c) of the IRC if, taking into account all the facts and circumstances, the IRS determines that it
would be inequitable to hold the requesting spouse liable for the income tax liability. The threshold
conditions are as follows:

(a) The claim for relief is timely filed

If the requesting spouse is applying for relief from a liability or a portion of a liability that remains
unpaid, the request for relief must be made on or before the Collection Statute Expiration Date (CSED).
The CSED is the date the period of limitation on collection of the income tax liability expires, as provided
in section 6502 of the IRC. Generally, that period expires 10 years after the assessment of tax, but it
may be extended by other provisions of IRC.
Claims for credit or refund of amounts paid must be made before the expiration of the period of
limitation on credit or refund, as provided in section 6511 of the IRC. Generally, that period expires three
years from the time the return was filed or two years from the time the tax was paid, whichever is later.

(b) No assets were transferred between the spouses as part of a fraudulent scheme by the spouses

(c) The nonrequesting spouse did not transfer disqualified assets to the requesting spouse

For this purpose, the term "disqualified asset" has the meaning given the term by section 6015(c)(4)(B)
of the IRC. If the nonrequesting spouse transferred disqualified assets to the requesting spouse, relief
will be available only to the extent that the income tax liability exceeds the value of the disqualified
assets. Even if there was a transfer of disqualified assets, the requesting spouse may be eligible for relief
if the nonrequesting spouse abused the requesting spouse or maintained control over the household
finances by restricting the requesting spouse's access to financial information, or the requesting spouse
did not have actual knowledge that disqualified assets were transferred.

(d) The requesting spouse did not knowingly participate in the filing of a fraudulent joint return

(e) The income tax liability from which the requesting spouse seeks relief is attributable (either in full or in
part) to an item of the nonrequesting spouse or an underpayment resulting from the nonrequesting
spouse's income

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If the liability is partially attributable to the requesting spouse, then relief can only be considered for
the portion of the liability attributable to the nonrequesting spouse. Nonetheless, the IRS will consider
granting relief regardless of whether the understatement, deficiency, or underpayment is attributable
(in full or in part) to the requesting spouse if any of the following exceptions apply:

• Attribution solely due to the operation of community property law. If an item is attributable or
partially attributable to the requesting spouse solely due to the operation of community property
law, then for purposes of this revenue procedure, that item (or portion thereof) will be considered
to be attributable to the nonrequesting spouse.
• Nominal ownership. If the item is titled in the name of the requesting spouse, the item is
presumptively attributable to the requesting spouse. This presumption is rebuttable. For example,
Spouse A opens an individual retirement account (IRA) in Spouse B's name and forges Spouse B's
signature on the IRA in 2017. Thereafter, Spouse A makes contributions to the IRA and in 2019 takes
a taxable distribution from the IRA. Spouse A and Spouse B file a joint return for the 2019 taxable
year, but do not report the taxable distribution on their joint return. The IRS later determines a
deficiency relating to the taxable IRA distribution. Spouse B requests equitable relief from joint and
several liability under section 66(c) of the IRC. Spouse B establishes that Spouse B did not contribute
to the IRA, sign paperwork relating to the IRA, or otherwise act as if Spouse B were the owner of
the IRA. Spouse B, thereby, rebuts the presumption that the IRA is attributable to Spouse B.
• Abuse. If the requesting spouse establishes that he or she was the victim of abuse prior to the time
the return was filed, and that, as a result of the prior abuse, the requesting spouse was not able to
challenge the treatment of any items on the return, or was not able to question the payment of any
balance due reported on the return, for fear of the nonrequesting spouse's retaliation, the IRS will
consider granting equitable relief even though the deficiency or underpayment may be attributable
in part or in full to an item of the requesting spouse.
• Fraud committed by nonrequesting spouse. The IRS will consider granting relief notwithstanding
that the item giving rise to the understatement or deficiency is attributable to the requesting
spouse, if the requesting spouse establishes that the nonrequesting spouse's fraud is the reason for
the erroneous item.

If a requesting spouse who did not file a joint return in a community property state, satisfies the
threshold conditions, the IRS will consider whether the requesting spouse is entitled to a streamlined
determination of equitable relief under section 66(c) of the IRC. If a requesting spouse is not entitled to
a streamlined determination because the requesting spouse does not satisfy all the elements, the
requesting spouse is still entitled to be considered for relief under the equitable factors. The IRS will
make streamlined determinations granting equitable relief under section 66(c) of the IRC in cases in
which the requesting spouse establishes that the requesting spouse:

• Is no longer married to the nonrequesting spouse;

• Would suffer economic hardship if relief were not granted; and
• Did not know or have reason to know of an item of community income properly includible in gross
income, which, under the rules contained in section 879(a) of the IRC, would be treated as the
income of the nonrequesting spouse.

If a spouse requests relief under section 66(c) of the IRC and satisfies the threshold conditions, but does
not qualify for streamlined determinations granting relief, the IRS may still grant equitable relief if it is
determined that it would be inequitable to hold the requesting spouse liable for the unpaid income tax
liability or deficiency.

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In determining whether it is inequitable to hold the requesting spouse liable for all or part of the unpaid
income tax liability or deficiency, and whether full or partial equitable relief under section 66(c) of the
IRC should be granted, all the facts and circumstances of the case are to be taken into account. The
factors listed below are designed as guides and not intended to comprise an exclusive list. Other factors
relevant to a specific claim for relief may also be taken into account in making the determination. In
evaluating a claim for relief, no one factor or a majority of factors necessarily determines the outcome.
The degree of importance of each factor varies depending on the requesting spouse's facts and
circumstances. Abuse or the exercise of financial control by the nonrequesting spouse is a factor that
may impact the other factors, as described below. Factors to consider include the following:

• Marital status

Whether the requesting spouse is no longer married to the nonrequesting spouse as of the date the
IRS makes its determination. If the requesting spouse is still married to the nonrequesting spouse,
this factor is neutral. If the requesting spouse is no longer married to the nonrequesting spouse,
this factor will weigh in favor of relief. For purposes of this section, a requesting spouse will be
treated as being no longer married to the nonrequesting spouse only in the following situations:

o The requesting spouse is divorced from the nonrequesting spouse,

o The requesting spouse is legally separated from the nonrequesting spouse under applicable
state law,
o The requesting spouse is a widow or widower and is not an heir to the nonrequesting spouse's
estate that would have sufficient assets to pay the tax liability, or
o The requesting spouse has not been a member of the same household as the nonrequesting
spouse at any time during the 12-month period ending on the date the IRS makes its
determination. For these purposes, a temporary absence (e.g., due to incarceration, illness,
business, military service, or education) is not considered separation if the absent spouse is
expected to return to the household. See Treas. Reg. § 1.6015-3(b)(3)(i). A requesting spouse is
a member of the same household as the nonrequesting spouse for any period in which the
spouses maintain the same residence.

• Economic hardship

Whether the requesting spouse will suffer economic hardship if relief is not granted. For purposes
of this factor, an economic hardship exists if satisfaction of the tax liability in whole or in part will
cause the requesting spouse to be unable to pay reasonable basic living expenses. Whether the
requesting spouse will suffer economic hardship is determined based on rules like those provided
in Treas. Reg. § 301.6343-1(b)(4), and the IRS will take into consideration a requesting spouse's
current income and expenses and the requesting spouse's assets. In determining the requesting
spouse's reasonable basic living expenses, the IRS will consider whether the requesting spouse
shares expenses or has expenses paid by another individual (such as a family member, including a
current spouse). If denying relief from the joint and several liability will cause the requesting spouse
to suffer economic hardship, this factor will weigh in favor of relief. If denying relief from the joint
and several liability will not cause the requesting spouse to suffer economic hardship, this factor
will be neutral.

In determining whether the requesting spouse would suffer economic hardship if relief is not
granted, the IRS will compare the requesting spouse's income to the Federal poverty guidelines (as
updated periodically in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
under the authority of 42 U.S.C. § 9902(2)) for the requesting spouse's family size and will determine
by how much, if at all, the requesting spouse's monthly income exceeds the spouse's reasonable
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basic monthly living expenses. This factor will weigh in favor of relief if the requesting spouse's
income is below 250% of the Federal poverty guidelines, unless the requesting spouse has assets
out of which the requesting spouse can make payments towards the tax liability and still adequately
meet the requesting spouse's reasonable basic living expenses. If the requesting spouse's income
exceeds 250% of the Federal poverty guidelines, this factor will still weigh in favor of relief if the
requesting spouse's monthly income exceeds the requesting spouse's reasonable basic monthly
living expenses by $300 or less, unless the requesting spouse has assets out of which the requesting
spouse can make payments towards the tax liability and still adequately meet the requesting
spouse's reasonable basic living expenses. If the requesting spouse's income exceeds 250% of the
Federal poverty guidelines and monthly income exceeds monthly expenses by more than $300, or
if the requesting spouse qualifies under either standard but has sufficient assets to make payments
towards the tax liability and still adequately meet the requesting spouse's reasonable basic living
expenses, the IRS will consider all facts and circumstances (including the size of the requesting
spouse's household) in determining whether the requesting spouse would suffer economic hardship
if relief is not granted. If the requesting spouse is deceased, this factor is neutral.

• Knowledge or reason to know

Whether the requesting spouse knew or had reason to know of an item of community income
properly includible in gross income, which, under the rules contained in section 879(a) of the IRC,
would be treated as the income of the nonrequesting spouse.

• Abuse by the nonrequesting spouse

If the requesting spouse establishes that they were the victim of abuse (not amounting to duress,
see Treas. Reg. § 1.6015-1(b)), then depending on the facts and circumstances of the requesting
spouse's situation, the abuse may result in certain factors weighing in favor of relief when otherwise
the factor may have weighed against relief. Abuse comes in many forms and can include physical,
psychological, sexual, or emotional abuse, including efforts to control, isolate, humiliate, and
intimidate the requesting spouse, or to undermine the requesting spouse's ability to reason
independently and be able to do what is required under the tax laws. All the facts and circumstances
are considered in determining whether a requesting spouse was abused. The impact of a
nonrequesting spouse's alcohol or drug abuse is also considered in determining whether a
requesting spouse was abused. Depending on the facts and circumstances, abuse of the requesting
spouse's child or other family member living in the household may constitute abuse of the
requesting spouse.

• Legal obligation

Whether the requesting spouse or the nonrequesting spouse has a legal obligation to pay the
outstanding federal income tax liability. For purposes of this factor, a legal obligation is an obligation
arising from a divorce decree or other legally binding agreement. This factor will weigh in favor of
relief if the nonrequesting spouse has the sole legal obligation to pay the outstanding income tax
liability pursuant to a divorce decree or agreement. This factor, however, will be neutral if the
requesting spouse knew or had reason to know, when entering into the divorce decree or
agreement, that the nonrequesting spouse would not pay the income tax liability. This factor will
weigh against relief if the requesting spouse has the sole legal obligation. The fact that the
nonrequesting spouse has been relieved of liability for the taxes at issue because of a discharge in
bankruptcy is disregarded in determining whether the requesting spouse has the sole legal
obligation. This factor will be neutral if, based on an agreement or consent order, both spouses have
a legal obligation to pay the outstanding income tax liability, the spouses are not separated or

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divorced, or the divorce decree or agreement is silent as to any obligation to pay the outstanding
income tax liability.

• Significant benefit

Whether the requesting spouse significantly benefitted from the unpaid income tax liability or
understatement. See Treas. Reg. § 1.6015-2(d).

A significant benefit is any benefit in excess of normal support. For example, if the requesting spouse
enjoyed the benefits of a lavish lifestyle, such as owning luxury assets and taking expensive
vacations, this factor will weigh against relief. If, however, the nonrequesting spouse controlled the
household and business finances or there was abuse such that the nonrequesting spouse made the
decision on spending funds for a lavish lifestyle, then this mitigates this factor so that it is neutral.
If only the nonrequesting spouse significantly benefitted from the unpaid tax or understatement,
and the requesting spouse had little or no benefit, or the nonrequesting spouse enjoyed the benefit
to the requesting spouse's detriment, this factor will weigh in favor of relief. If the amount of unpaid
tax or understatement was small such that neither spouse received a significant benefit, then this
factor is neutral. Whether the amount of unpaid tax or understatement is small such that neither
spouse received a significant benefit will vary depending on the facts and circumstances of each
case.

• Compliance with income tax laws

Whether the requesting spouse has made a good faith effort to comply with the income tax laws in
the taxable years following the taxable year or years to which the request for relief relates.

o If the requesting spouse is compliant for taxable years after being divorced from the
nonrequesting spouse, then this factor will weigh in favor of relief. If the requesting spouse is
not compliant, then this factor will weigh against relief. If the requesting spouse made a good
faith effort to comply with the tax laws but was unable to fully comply, then this factor will be
neutral. For example, if the requesting spouse timely filed an income tax return but was unable
to fully pay the tax liability due to the requesting spouse's poor financial or economic situation
after the divorce, then this factor will be neutral.
o If the requesting spouse remains married to the nonrequesting spouse, whether or not legally
separated or living apart, and continues to file joint returns with the nonrequesting spouse after
requesting relief, then this factor will be neutral if the joint returns are compliant with the tax
laws but will weigh against relief if the returns are not compliant.
o If the requesting spouse remains married to the nonrequesting spouse but files separate
returns, this factor will weigh in favor of relief if the requesting spouse is compliant with the tax
laws and will weigh against relief if the requesting spouse is not compliant with the tax laws. If
the requesting spouse made a good faith effort to comply with the tax laws but was unable to
fully comply, then this factor will be neutral. For example, if the requesting spouse timely filed
an income tax return but was unable to fully pay the tax liability due to the requesting spouse's
poor financial or economic situation because of being separated or living apart from the
nonrequesting spouse, then this factor will be neutral.

• Mental or physical health

Whether the requesting spouse was in poor physical or mental health. This factor will weigh in favor
of relief if the requesting spouse was in poor mental or physical health at the time the return or
returns for which the request for relief relates were filed (or at the time the requesting spouse

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reasonably believed the return or returns were filed), or at the time the requesting spouse
requested relief. The IRS will consider the nature, extent, and duration of the condition, including
the ongoing economic impact of the illness. If the requesting spouse was in neither poor physical
nor poor mental health, this factor is neutral.

(7) Section 66(c) – Other Concerns

A request for relief that is denied by the IRS may be appealed to the Tax Court. The appeal must be from a
statutory notice of deficiency or a collection due process notice. [Beck v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2001-
198.] No appeal may be made solely from a denial of relief under section 66 of the IRC. [Bernal v.
Commissioner, 120 T.C. 102 (2003).] If an appeal is made under collection due process, the request for relief
under section 66(c) of the IRC must be raised administratively before appeal to the Tax Court. Also, if an
appeal is brought in Tax Court from a collection due process proceeding, no refund can be issued.

Even if relief under section 66(c) of the IRC is granted, the IRS may still collect from any marital property
asset(s). If the IRS attempts to collect from separate assets, you should contact the name listed on the
collection notice immediately.

Similarly, no refund will be made from marital assets.

(8) Section 66(b)

A third provision of section 66(b) of the IRC is not an innocent spouse provision. A taxpayer may not rely on
it to escape liability for tax on community property income. [Drummer v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo
1994-214, aff'd 68 F.3d 472 (5th Cir. 1995) and Hardy v. Commissioner, 181 F.3d 1002 (9th Cir. 1999).] The
IRS may invoke it at its discretion. Under it, the IRS may require a spouse to report 100% of an item of
community property.

Section 66(b) of the IRC applies if the item was treated by the spouse as if he or she were solely entitled to
the income, and the spouse did not notify the other spouse of the nature and amount of the income by the
due date for filing the return (including extensions).

The first requirement has been interpreted to mean that the spouse retained the item of income for
themselves. [Compare Cox v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 1993-559 (holding section 66(b) of the IRC did not
apply where the funds were deposited into a joint bank account) with McPherson v. Commissioner, T.C.
Memo 1991-520 (holding section 66(b) of the IRC did apply where spouse retained their own earned
income).] The notice requirement is self-explanatory. A spouse can avoid the application of section 66(b) of
the IRC, for example, by providing the other spouse with copies of 1099 or W-2 Forms, income statements
for businesses, or other equivalent documents.

(9) Filing Returns and Uncooperative Spouses

Where section 66 of the IRC applies, spouses must follow its requirements. Where section 66 of the IRC
does not apply, spouses filing separate returns must report community property income and deductions
correctly by splitting them between their returns. Failure to do so could result in the assessment of
additional tax and penalties. Spouses may not simply ignore community property filing requirements.
Spouses may only deviate from a legal requirement to split community property income where it is
impossible to obtain the necessary information. Generally this occurs where one spouse refuses to
cooperate or is unavailable.

Example: Spouse A and Spouse B are married but separated at the end of 2022. Spouse A refuses to share
with Spouse B any information concerning the amount of Spouse A's wages or other income. In these
circumstances, Spouse B should conform to the following procedures. Spouse B should notify Spouse A of

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the amount and nature of Spouse B's income and deductions. Spouse B should request from Spouse A the
same information in return. If Spouse A does not provide the needed information, Spouse B should then
report income, deductions, and individual withholding, ignoring community property law principles (i.e.,
Spouse B should report and pay the tax on 100% of the income earned or produced by Spouse B). Spouse B
should attach a Form 8275, Disclosure Statement, to Spouse B's return. The disclosure statement should
state that although Spouse B may be responsible for reporting marital property income that is not shown
on the return, income, deductions, and tax payments are being reported on a common law basis because it
is impossible to determine the community income share.

If the IRS subsequently audits Spouse B's return and determines that Spouse B qualifies under section 66 of
the IRC, no changes will have to be made to the return. However, if Spouse B does not qualify for relief
under section 66 of the IRC, the IRS could, nevertheless, recalculate the tax due using community property
principles. Assuming Spouse B provided a complete and accurate statement of income and deductions to
Spouse A before the return due date, Spouse B can establish that Spouse B did not have access to Spouse
A's return information, and Spouse B included a Form 8275 with Spouse B's return, no penalties will be
assessed against Spouse B or Spouse B's return preparer for failing to report half of Spouse A's Wisconsin
marital property income. This procedure only applies to the limited circumstances described above.
Taxpayers who deliberately ignore marital property filing requirements and do not disclose needed tax
information to the other spouse risk penalties or invocation of section 66(b) of the IRC on the affected return
items.

(10) Retroactive Divorce Decrees

Divorce decrees may not be used to retroactively reclassify income to avoid community reporting
requirements. [Daine v. Commissioner, 168 F.2d 449 (2d Cir. 1948); Cf. Brent v. Commissioner, 630 F.2d 356,
361 (5th Cir. 1980).] These provisions in divorce decrees will only be honored prospectively. Also, some
divorce decrees purport to require spouses to ignore federal laws concerning the reporting of community
property income. Taxpayers following these provisions risk having penalties assessed against them.
Attorneys drafting such provisions could also be subject to penalties. [See IRC sec. 6694, Treas. Reg.
§ 301.7701-15(b).]

Wisconsin Treatment

Wisconsin does not follow the federal "living apart all year" rule found in section 66(a) of the IRC. Although
the Department of Revenue had proposed that a similar Wisconsin rule be included in the marital property
trailer bill, the Legislature's Special Committee on Marital Property Implementation rejected this approach
because the Wisconsin Marital Property Act applies to spouses until the dissolution of the marriage. Instead,
the Legislature created a much broader Wisconsin "innocent spouse" rule [sec. 71.10(6)(b), Wis. Stats.],
which states:

A spouse filing a separate return may be relieved of liability for the tax, interest, penalties, fees,
additions to tax and additional assessments under this chapter in the manner specified in
section 66(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. The department may not apply ch. 766 in assessing a
taxpayer with respect to marital property income the taxpayer did not report if that taxpayer failed
to notify the taxpayer's spouse about the amount and nature of the income before the due date,
including extensions, for filing the return for the taxable year in which the income was derived. The
department shall include all of that marital property income in the gross income of the taxpayer
and exclude all of that marital property income from the gross income of the taxpayer's spouse.

Substantially the same treatment applies for formerly married and remarried persons. [Sec. 71.10(6m)(a),
Wis. Stats.]

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A person who seeks relief from liability under the provisions on the previous page must apply for relief with
the department within two years after the date on which the department first begins collection activities.
[Secs. 71.10(6)(e) and 71.10(6m)(c), Wis. Stats.]

Wisconsin adjusted gross income is defined as federal adjusted gross income as determined under the IRC
in effect for Wisconsin purposes, with certain modifications. [See secs. 71.01(13) and 71.05(6) to (12), (19),
(20), (24), (25), (25m) and (26), Wis. Stats.] Among the required modifications are additions to or
subtractions from federal adjusted gross income, as appropriate, for the amount necessary to reflect:

• The inapplicability of the federal "living apart all year" rule (sec. 66(a) of the IRC),
• The applicability of the Wisconsin rules regarding "innocent spouses," marital property agreements, and
part-year residents and nonresidents of Wisconsin (sec. 71.10(6)(b) to (d), Wis. Stats.), and
• Any other differences between the treatment of marital income for federal income tax purposes and
the treatment of marital income for Wisconsin income tax purposes.

[Sec. 71.05(10)(f), (g), and (h), Wis. Stats.]

Under the Wisconsin "innocent spouse" statute, the burden is on the earner spouse to notify the nonearning
spouse about the amount and nature of marital property income. If the nonearning spouse isn't notified,
he or she is an "innocent spouse" with respect to that marital property income. The statute provides that
notification is timely only if made by the due date, including extensions, for filing the earner spouse's tax
return. This timing for notification may cause a hardship for the nonearning spouse when the earner spouse
delays notification to the last day or obtains an extension. Nevertheless, the nonearner will have to file an
amended return to report the additional income. [Joyce A. Bennett v. Wisconsin Department of Revenue,
W.T.A.C., Docket No. 88-I-542 (November 15, 1989).]

Section 71.10(6)(b), Wis. Stats., does not require the earner spouse to make notification for income tax
purposes. If the earner spouse doesn't provide notification about the nature and amount of marital property
income over which he or she had control, the earner spouse must report all of that marital property income.
Thus, failure to make notification may result in treatment similar to that provided in the federal "living apart
all year" rule or to that available if the spouses had signed a marital property agreement to classify their
income as individual property. By not making notification, each spouse would be an innocent spouse with
respect to the other's marital property income. It should be noted that the spouse with the higher income
will pay additional tax as a result and, therefore, may notify in order to secure the income-splitting benefit.
Consequently, a spouse who doesn't provide notification may be taxed on more than half of the couple's
total marital property income. The spouses may wish to enter into an agreement that neither spouse will
provide notification; however, such an agreement would not be binding on the Department of Revenue
should one spouse violate the agreement and make notification.

The following example illustrates the problem that may arise.

Example: Spouse A and Spouse B are married. Spouse B doesn't notify Spouse A about the marital property
income Spouse B's services and property produced but instead reports the entire amount on a separate
return filed before the April 15 due date. After filing the return, Spouse B receives notification about the
nature and amount of the marital property income Spouse A's services and property produced. Provided
Spouse A's notification is timely, Spouse B must amend Spouse B's return and report one-half of the marital
property income Spouse A's services and property produced. If Spouse A notifies before April 15, there is
the possibility that Spouse B may still notify Spouse A by April 15 of the nature and amount of Spouse B's
marital property income and report one-half of the combined marital property income on an amended
return. However, if Spouse A has an extension to file until October 15 and provides notification on
October 1, Spouse B cannot then notify Spouse A about Spouse B's marital property income since it is after

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the due date of Spouse B's return. Thus, Spouse B must file an amended return reporting all of Spouse B's
marital property income and one-half of Spouse A's marital property income, whereas Spouse A would
report one-half of Spouse A's marital property income.

In addition, the statute doesn't specify how notification is to be made. Due to opposition from the
Legislature's Marital Property Implementation Committee, the department had to abandon its attempt to
promulgate an administrative rule concerning notification. It was felt that a rule would unduly limit the
innocent spouse protection and that it would be better to let the courts determine whether notification
was sufficient under the facts of a particular situation. Therefore, the Department of Revenue has no
guidance for determining whether proper notification has taken place and will issue assessments in the
alternative when a problem arises.

If the nonearning spouse disputes that notification occurred, the earner spouse should be prepared to prove
when notification was made, what it consisted of, and how it was accomplished. Although the department
cannot state that either of the following two methods is adequate notice, it appears that (1) notification
made by mail may be evidenced by sending it by certified mail, return receipt requested, and retaining a
copy of what was sent, and (2) notification made in person could be done in front of a disinterested person
who signs an affidavit with a copy of the income information attached. In addition, although the department
cannot state what the notice must contain, it probably isn't sufficient to give just a total dollar amount of
income, since the spouse won't know how to report it. The department believes that sufficient information
to file a tax return is the "goal" of notification.

The notification of marital property income and failure to notify about expenses, deductions, and
withholding related to that income will not enable the earner spouse to claim the entire amount of those
items. Certain negative income items must be allocated in the same manner as the income is or would be
allocated, and a similar rule applies for withholding. [See secs. 71.01(16) and 71.64(1)(c), Wis. Stats.] Such
incomplete notification may result in the conclusion that no notification took place and the earner spouse
must report all of the marital property income.

Whenever it is apparent to the department that there is a dispute as to whether notification has occurred,
the department will issue assessments in the alternative. For example, if the earner spouse reports one-half
of the marital property income their property and services produced and the nonearning spouse fails to
report the other half, the department will issue assessments in the alternative, which will reflect more than
the total income of both spouses. The earner spouse will be assessed tax on 100% of the income their
property and services produced, thus denying that proper notification occurred. The nonearner will be
assessed tax on one-half of that income, thus denying that spouse's claim to be an innocent spouse. Upon
final determination of the proper income reporting, the department will adjust either or both spouses'
incomes, expenses, and deductions, as appropriate. The purpose of assessments in the alternative is to have
the spouses mutually agree on the facts of notification.

The following example further illustrates assessments in the alternative.

Example: Spouse A and Spouse B are married. Spouse A's efforts produce $50,000 of wages, and Spouse A
has $3,000 of Wisconsin tax withheld. Spouse B's efforts produce $14,000 of wages, and Spouse B has $700
of Wisconsin tax withheld. Spouse A claims to have notified Spouse B about Spouse A's wages but Spouse B
claims that Spouse B wasn't notified. The spouses agree that Spouse B didn't notify Spouse A about the
amount of Spouse B's wages. On Spouse A's Wisconsin return, Spouse A reports $25,000 of wages and claims
$1,500 of withholding. On Spouse B's Wisconsin return, Spouse B reports $14,000 of wages and claims $700
of withholding.

The department will issue assessments in the alternative, as follows:

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Spouse A will be assessed the tax on $50,000 of wages (all of Spouse A's wages) and will be allowed credit
for $1,500 of withholding (one-half of Spouse A's withholding). Spouse B will be assessed the tax on $39,000
of wages (all of Spouse B's wages and one-half of Spouse A's wages). Spouse B will be allowed credit for
$700 of withholding (all of Spouse B's withholding). After the Tax Appeals Commission determines whether
proper notification was made, the assessments will be adjusted accordingly. The notification issue may also
be resolved between the spouses by agreement, thus avoiding a hearing on the issue.

Comparison of Federal and Wisconsin Innocent Spouse Treatment

Suppose that Spouse A and Spouse B are married, and their determination date is January 1, 1986. Spouse
A's efforts produce $40,000 of wages. Stocks gifted to Spouse A in 1992 as individual property produce
$1,000 of dividend income. Spouse B operates a business which generates $10,000 of income. In addition,
a corporate bond Spouse B inherited in 1996 produces $500 of interest income, and real estate Spouse B
inherited in 1996 produces net rental income of $1,500. All the income is marital property. Their income
would be reported as follows:

Federal Returns
If Sec. 66(a) of the IRC Applies If Sec. 66(a) of the IRC Does Not Apply
Spouse A Spouse B Spouse A Spouse B
Wages $40,000 $ 0 $20,000 $20,000
Interest 0 500 250 250
Dividends 1,000 0 500 500
Business income 0 10,000 5,000 5,000
Net rental income 0 1,500 750 750
Total income reported $41,000 $12,000 $26,500 $26,500

Wisconsin Returns
If Neither Spouse Notifies If Both Spouses Notify
Spouse A Spouse B Spouse A Spouse B
Wages $40,000 $ 0 $20,000 $20,000
Interest 0 500 250 250
Dividends 1,000 0 500 500
Business income 0 10,000 5,000 5,000
Net rental income 0 1,500 750 750

Total income reported $41,000 $12,000 $26,500 $26,500

Wisconsin Returns
If Only Spouse A Notifies If Only Spouse B Notifies
Spouse A Spouse B Spouse A Spouse B
Wages $20,000 $20,000 $40,000 $ 0
Interest 0 500 250 250
Dividends 500 500 1,000 0
Business income 0 10,000 5,000 5,000
Net rental income 0 1,500 750 750

Total income reported $20,500 $32,500 $47,000 $ 6,000

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C. Estimated Tax Payments

Federal Treatment

Estimated tax payments made in a separate declaration of estimated tax are the separate property of the spouse
making the declaration. [Janus v. United States, 557 F.2d 1268 (9th Cir. 1977); Morris v. Commissioner, T.C.
Memo. 1966-245.] These payments are separate property even if the source for them is community property.
If spouses file a joint declaration of estimated tax and file separate returns, they may allocate the payments in
any consistent manner that they may agree upon. If they cannot agree, and the source of the payment is known
to be community property, the payment should be split. Usually, the source of the payment will not be known,
however. Under these circumstances, the payments should be allocated in proportion to the tax liability
reported on the returns as follows:

Separate Tax Liability Estimated

Both Tax Liabilities X Tax Payments

[Rev. Rul. 80-7, 1980-1 C.B. 296, amplified by Rev. Rul. 87-52, 1987-1 C.B. 347; Treas. Reg. 1.6654-2(e)(5)(ii)(B);
United States v. Johnson, 75-1 U.S.T.C. ¶ 9144, 35 A.F.T.R.2d ¶ 75-490 (D. Minn. 1974).] If the spouses file a joint
return and the character of the estimated tax payment becomes material (e.g., for an injured spouse claim
under section 6402 of the IRC), the source of the payment is considered. [Elam v. United States, 112 F.3d 1036
(9th Cir. 1997).]

Wisconsin Treatment

Wisconsin's estimated tax statutes are patterned after the federal regulations and court decisions. If married
persons file a joint return, it makes no difference whether they have made joint or separate estimated tax
payments, as the full amount may be claimed. However, difficulties do arise if married persons file separate
Wisconsin returns. On separate returns, joint estimated tax payments can be divided any way that the spouses
choose. If the spouses can't agree, the department will divide the payments in proportion to the tax liability
shown on the separate returns. [Sec. 71.09(16), Wis. Stats.] If spouses make separate estimated tax payments,
no part of the payment may be allocated to the other spouse. [Sec. 71.09(16), Wis. Stats.] Withholding, as
previously indicated, must be allocated in the same way that the income is or would be reported.
[Sec. 71.64(1)(c), Wis. Stats.]

D. Marital Property Agreements

Federal Treatment

The IRS will recognize the validity of marital property agreements for federal income tax reporting purposes if
they provide that any future income earned by either spouse for personal services will be the individual property
of that spouse, rather than the marital property income of both spouses. It is even possible to have such
agreements provide that a percentage of what would normally be marital property income would be considered
individual property. However, never more than 50% of the total marital property income can be reclassified as
the income of the nonearner spouse.

By way of an example, assume that one spouse has $10,000 of earned income and the other spouse has no
income. The nonearning spouse is entitled to $5,000 of this earned income as their share of marital property.
Suppose, however, that to take advantage of tax deductions that might otherwise be missed, the spouse earning
income chooses to execute a marital property agreement assigning more than $5,000 to the nonearning spouse.
The IRS would not recognize such an agreement because it involves the contracting away of property that was
not owned by the wage earner because he or she is only entitled to 50% of the earned income under the Marital
Property Act.

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Provisions are also made under the Marital Property Act to allow parties to "opt out" of the Act for prescribed
periods. Earlier legislation permitted this on a one-year basis (a statutory individual property classification
agreement that expired January 1, 1987). [Sec. 766.587, Wis. Stats.] Subsequent trailer bill legislation added a
provision permitting the "opt out" for a three-year period (a statutory terminable marital property classification
agreement). [Sec. 766.589, Wis. Stats.] Another provision under the Marital Property Act allows a spouse who
owns individual property that generates income to give a unilateral statement to the other spouse advising the
other spouse that the income is not marital property. [Sec. 766.59, Wis. Stats.] Although the IRS recognizes
these agreements and unilateral statements for federal tax reporting purposes, they do have their limitations
which are discussed under the sections on divorce, basis, and delinquent taxes. The enabling statute prescribes
notice requirements on these agreements in terms of altering creditor rights. The IRS does not prescribe a notice
requirement and will accept marital property agreements at the time of taxpayer contact for income reporting
purposes. The marital property agreement will only be recognized prospectively from the date it was executed.
The IRS does not recognize retroactive reclassification agreements.

For reasons discussed in the sections on divorce and delinquent taxes, it is generally a good idea to serve a copy
of the agreement on the IRS at the time it is executed. These agreements should be mailed to the following
address:

Internal Revenue Service

SB/SE Advisory, Stop 5303 MIL
211 W. Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53203

A marital property agreement may not be effective to change the character of income that has already been
received or earned from marital property to individual property, retroactively, for federal income tax reporting
purposes.

As will be seen in Part 5, the IRS does prescribe a notice requirement regarding honoring marital property
agreements in the context of collecting delinquent taxes. The notice rules regarding marital property
agreements are different in the area of collection of federal taxes.

Wisconsin Treatment

For Wisconsin income tax purposes, as well as federally, spouses cannot use a marital property agreement to
retroactively reclassify income previously received, whether from marital property income to individual income
or vice versa, and a court may not order such a retroactive reclassification either. An agreement may classify
income received only from the date of signing forward.

There are several important differences between the federal and Wisconsin treatment of marital property
agreements:

• The Department of Revenue, unlike the IRS, will recognize an agreement which allocates more than half of
the marital property income to the nonearning spouse.
• The Department of Revenue isn't bound by any marital property agreement or unilateral statement not
provided to the department before the issuance of an assessment. [Sec. 71.10(6)(c), Wis. Stats.]
• Such an agreement or statement isn't effective for state purposes for any time that both spouses aren't
domiciled in Wisconsin. [Sec. 71.10(6)(c), Wis. Stats.]
• Such agreements or statements don't affect claims for refund. [Sec. 71.75(6), Wis. Stats.]

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• A marital property agreement or unilateral statement can't be used in computing income, property taxes
accrued, or rent constituting property taxes accrued for homestead credit purposes. [Sec. 71.52(6), (7), and
(8), Wis. Stats.]

Since the Department of Revenue isn't bound by any marital property agreement not provided to the
department before the issuance of an assessment or billing, spouses may want to send a copy of any agreement
to the department at the time it is executed. Include both spouses' social security numbers and send marital
property agreements to the following address:
Mail Stop 5-144
Wisconsin Department of Revenue
Billing and Audit Support
P.O. Box 8906
Madison, WI 53708-8906

Note that the department does not acknowledge the receipt of unsolicited agreements and does not review
them.

E. Divorce

Federal Treatment

The tax impact of the Marital Property Act takes on a severe implication in those situations in which a divorce
action is pending, with the spouses separated and living apart. Except for the innocent spouse provisions and
section 66 of the IRC, discussed under income reporting, little is available to help the difficulties encountered
when spouses do not communicate tax information. Because of the requirement that marital property income
be equally divided, there is often a taxing of income to one spouse even though he or she did not receive the
income. In essence, even though the parties are separated, living apart, and not communicating, the marital
property statute (sec. 766.01, Wis. Stats.) provides that the marital property estate can be dissolved only
through divorce, annulment, or a decree of legal separation or separate maintenance. This means that absent
a marital property agreement, which is only prospective in nature, the parties must report their respective
shares of marital property income even though a divorce petition has been filed.

Since enactment of the Marital Property Act, divorce litigants have attempted, through a marital property
agreement, to reclassify income in the year of decree or in the year in which a petition is filed into individual
income versus marital property income. Undoubtedly, this recharacterization of income would be the easiest
way to handle an already difficult situation. Regrettably, this is not possible since the marital property income
was already actually or constructively received. A decree or marital property agreement that attempts to
reclassify income as individual property retroactively will only be honored from the date it is signed for federal
income tax purposes. [Cf., Daine v. Commissioner, 168 F.2d 449 (2nd Cir. 1948) and Brent v. Commissioner,
630 F.2d 356, 361 (5th Cir. 1980).]

This situation is compounded further by the fact that the parties, in the year in which the decree is rendered,
would have income for a portion of the year reportable as marital property income and for the portion of the
year subsequent to the decree reportable as income of the spouse who earned it. There are a few solutions to
this dilemma. One is to have a marital property agreement take effect at the beginning of the next tax year after
the petition is filed which will then be effective until the divorce decree is entered; another is to have the decree
rendered on December 31, which would make the entire prior year subject to marital property income
reporting.

The following example illustrates the tax reporting problems confronting spouses undergoing a divorce:

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Example: For this illustration assume Spouse A and Spouse B are divorced. The divorce decree was rendered on
March 31. Spouse A earned a total of $48,000 in income and had $8,000 in federal income tax withholding.
Spouse B earned $18,000 and had $4,000 withheld for federal income tax. There is no marital property
agreement.

In this situation, all income earned before March 31 is marital property. All income earned after March 31 is the
property of the spouse who earned it. Since Spouse A and Spouse B were married for three months, 3/12 of the
income earned by each should be split and reported by the other spouse, and 9/12 should be reported by the
spouse who earned it.

Therefore, income should be reported as follows:

Total Spouse B's Share Spouse A's Share

3/12 Spouse B's wages
(marital property share) $ 4,500 $ 2,250 $ 2,250
3/12 Spouse A's wages
(marital property share) 12,000 6,000 6,000
9/12 Spouse B's wages 13,500 13,500 -0-
9/12 Spouse A's wages 36,000 -0- 36,000
Total to be reported $66,000 $21,750 $44,250

Federal withholding credits should be claimed as follows:

Total Spouse B's Share Spouse A's Share

3/12 Spouse B's withholding
(marital property share) $ 1,000 $ 500 $ 500
3/12 Spouse A's withholding
(marital property share) 2,000 1,000 1,000
9/12 Spouse B's withholding 3,000 3,000 -0-
9/12 Spouse A's withholding 6,000 -0- 6,000
Total withholding $12,000 $ 4,500 $ 7,500

Of course, the above example assumes that both spouses are employed and their earnings are relatively
constant. Dividing income by the number of months (or days, if appropriate) would approximate the actual
amount of money earned before and after the divorce. If, however, either spouse's earnings vary during the
year, the division would have to be made based on how much money was actually earned prior to and after the
divorce.

As you can see in the example above, in the year of divorce Spouse A ends up with less income and withholding
than Spouse A's W-2 Form indicates, and Spouse B ends up with more income and withholding. Again, as in the
situation with "married filing separately," these individuals, who will likely be filing single returns in the year of
divorce, must attach some form of explanation, preferably Form 8958, Allocation of Tax Amounts Between
Certain Individuals in Community Property States, which reconciles the discrepancy of their tax returns with the
amount reported to the IRS. The form should indicate the date on which the divorce decree was entered. It is
not necessary to attach a copy of the decree.

Wisconsin Treatment

For Wisconsin purposes as well as for federal purposes, income earned by spouses after they separate but prior
to the date of divorce continues to be marital property and must be treated as such on their income tax returns.
The federal example of how income and withholding, up to the date of divorce, is allocated also applies for
Wisconsin purposes. The only exceptions to this treatment are if (1) the spouses entered into a marital property

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agreement at the time of separation to classify the income subsequently received as the individual income of
the recipient, or (2) the innocent spouse rule in sec. 71.10(6)(b) or (6m)(a), Wis. Stats., applies.

Caution must be exercised in the drafting of marital property agreements since the department won't recognize
agreements which retroactively reclassify income. An agreement which states that in the year a divorce is
granted the income of the spouses will be individual income, is still retroactive since the granting of the divorce
decree is what triggers the classification of income received before the decree is granted. If a future event is to
trigger the reclassification of income, that event must occur before the income is generated. For example, an
agreement that provides that all income received after the filing of a petition for divorce will be the individual
income of the earner spouse would be acceptable, provided that the agreement is signed before the income is
earned.

The innocent spouse rule for persons who will file individual returns for the year of divorce is the same as the
notification rule previously discussed for separate returns. It must be remembered that the innocent spouse
rule doesn't reclassify marital property income to individual income for purposes of determining whether
alimony is deductible by the payer spouse and taxable to the recipient (see Part F on page 28). In divorce
situations, the question arises as to whether the disclosure of income in the divorce proceedings is adequate
notification. Since the courts have not issued any opinions in this area, the department is unable to provide any
guidance. The department suggests that the spouses' accountants and/or attorneys try to get the spouses to
agree on whether they will or will not notify each other of the amount and nature of their marital property
income.

F. Alimony or Separate Maintenance

Federal Treatment

Beginning on January 1, 2019, any divorce agreement providing for the payment of alimony no longer has a tax
effect on the payor or payee’s tax return. Under the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, for divorce agreements entered after
December 31, 2018, the payor of the alimony no longer is allowed to claim a deduction for the payment and the
payee (or recipient) of the alimony no longer has to include the alimony on their tax return as income.

For divorce agreements entered before December 31, 2018, those agreements have been grandfathered and
the alimony payments are still deductible to the payor and includable in income for the payee. [IRC secs. 71 and
215].

Wisconsin Treatment

Wisconsin's treatment of alimony or separate maintenance income and deductions is the same as the federal
treatment described above. Since the innocent spouse rule doesn't change the classification of property, it
doesn't affect Wisconsin's treatment of alimony or separate maintenance income and deductions.

G. Payment of Taxes

Federal Treatment

When the marital estate is divided pursuant to a divorce decree, provisions are sometimes made for the
payment of federal income tax. Generally, these provisions will provide that one spouse is responsible to pay
any taxes owed the last year a joint income tax return was filed. Typically, joint returns are filed pending the
divorce action since those tax rates are more favorable than the married filing separate rates. Caution needs to
be exercised in this area because those decrees affixing federal income tax responsibilities are not binding upon
the IRS. In the situation involving a joint return, the tax liability is joint and several. Therefore, the IRS will enforce
collection against either party and leave the compliance with the decree provision as a matter for the spouses,
or former spouses, to resolve with the State Court. The best course of action for divorcing spouses is to ensure
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that these taxes are paid with the filed return or to verify, before the decree is rendered, that the joint tax return
liability has been satisfied. Either spouse can authorize a disclosure of joint return information to their power
of attorney, and the easiest way to secure this information is by signing a Form 8821, Tax Information
Authorization, which will permit the IRS to disclose whether all payments have been made.

In a pre-divorce situation where the spouses file a joint return, the only relief available would be the "innocent
spouse" provisions of the IRC. For more information see IRS Publication 971.

Wisconsin Treatment

Married persons who file a joint Wisconsin income tax return are jointly and severally liable for the tax due, the
same as for federal purposes. However, unlike for federal purposes, a judgment of divorce affixing state income
tax liabilities is binding on the Department of Revenue. The judgment must have been entered on or after
June 21, 1996. A copy of that portion of the judgment of divorce that relates to the apportionment of tax liability
must be provided to the department.

Additionally, a spouse may be relieved of liability on a joint Wisconsin return in the manner specified in
sec. 6015(a) to (d) and (f) of the IRC. A spouse who seeks relief from liability under these provisions must apply
for relief with the department within two years after the date on which the department first begins collection
activities after July 27, 2005. [Secs. 71.10(6)(a) and (e), Wis. Stats.]

H. Deductions

As was the case of joint income reporting and the election to file a joint return, the Marital Property Act creates
no new problems for claiming income tax deductions. However, there is some impact for deductions in the case
of income reporting under the married filing separate status. Following are the rules for claiming deductions:

(1) Itemized Deductions

Federal Treatment

Itemized deductions not associated with specific income (e.g., medical, charitable contributions, state taxes)
are generally considered paid from marital property (community funds) and deductible half by each spouse,
unless it can be shown that they were paid from individual property (separate funds), in which case they
are deductible by the spouse who paid them. [Clemens v. Commissioner, 8 T.C. 121, 125 (1947).]

Itemized deductions associated with marital property income (e.g., employee business expenses) are
equally divided. [Stewart v. Commissioner, 35 B.T.A. 406, 410 (1937), aff'd., 95 F.2d 821 (5th Cir. 1938).]
Deductible expenses associated with income that is individual property are deductible by the spouse who
owns or earned the income, provided that spouse paid the expenses from their individual property.

Wisconsin Treatment

Although itemized deductions cannot be claimed for Wisconsin purposes, certain itemized deductions may
be used in the computation of Wisconsin's itemized deduction credit. The Wisconsin treatment of expenses
allowed in the computation of the itemized deduction credit is the same as the federal treatment of these
expenses. Expenses incurred to earn or produce marital property income are generally divided equally
between the spouses. Expenses incurred to earn or produce individual income are allocated to the spouse
who owns the income, provided that spouse paid the expenses from their individual property. Expenses
that aren't attributable to any specific income, such as medical expenses or charitable contributions, are
deductible by the spouse who pays them. However, if these personal expenses are paid from marital
property funds, then the amounts are divided equally between the spouses.

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(2) Exemptions for Dependents

Federal Treatment

A single dependency exemption deduction cannot be divided between spouses, although if spouses are
entitled to more than one dependency exemption, they can allocate whole exemptions between them.

Wisconsin Treatment

An exemption deduction is provided for each person for whom the taxpayer is entitled to an exemption
under section 152 of the IRC. The Wisconsin treatment is the same as the federal treatment. When more
than one dependent is supported with marital property funds, the spouses may divide the number of
dependents between themselves on separate returns in any manner they choose. No division of a single
dependency exemption deduction is allowed.

(3) Casualty Loss Deductions

Federal Treatment

This retains the same character as the property that was subject to the loss. If it was a marital property asset
that was destroyed through fire or theft, or other sudden unexpected events, then the deduction would be
equally divided. [Kamins v. Commissioner, 54 T.C. 977 (1970).]

Wisconsin Treatment

The loss retains the same character as the property that was subject to the loss, the same as federally.

(4) Bad Debt Deductions

Federal Treatment

Bad debt deductions are generally split if the money was loaned during the marriage from marital property.
However, bad debt deductions for premarital loans are not split if they go bad after marriage. [Thorman v.
Commissioner, 8 T.C.M. (CCH) 653 (1949).] Payment of a post-marital loan guarantee that is an obligation
of the marital community is split. [Kleberg v. Commissioner, 43 B.T.A. 277 (1941).]

Wisconsin Treatment

The federal treatment of bad debt deductions also applies for Wisconsin purposes.

(5) Deductions for Contributions to Traditional IRAs

Federal Treatment

The right to this deduction is predicated upon earned income; therefore, the payment into a separate IRA
could only be claimed on the spouse's return to the extent of IRA limitations imposed, for e.g., cap on
adjusted gross income. In other words, if there is a nonworking spouse, half of the marital property income
earned by the other spouse could not be reported on the nonworking spouse's separate return in order to
claim an IRA deduction.

Because contributions to Roth IRAs and education IRAs are not deductible, the discussion above does not
apply to contributions to them. For more information on IRAs, see IRS Publication 590-A, Contributions to
Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).

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Wisconsin Treatment

The deduction on separate returns for contributions to an IRA is allocated in the same manner that the
related income is reported.

Example: Spouse A contributes $2,000 to Spouse A's IRA based on Spouse A's wages of $20,000. Spouse B
contributes $1,000 to Spouse B's IRA based on Spouse B's wages of $18,000. Assuming each spouse notifies
the other spouse of marital property income, each spouse will report one-half ($19,000) of wage income on
their separate return. For Wisconsin tax purposes, each spouse may claim an IRA deduction of $1,500 (one-
half of $3,000).

(6) Charitable Deductions

Federal Treatment

If separate returns are filed, the charitable contribution should be split, unless the deduction was paid with
the individual property of a spouse, in which case that spouse would be entitled to the entire deduction.

Wisconsin Treatment

The federal treatment of charitable gifts also applies for Wisconsin purposes.

(7) Business Expenses

Federal Treatment

Generally, income associated with a Schedule C business is marital property, even if the assets of the
business are individual property. Business expense deductions associated with generating the marital
property income should be classified consistent with the income and split. [Stewart v. Commissioner,
35 B.T.A. 406, 410 (1937), aff'd., 95 F.2d 821 (5th Cir. 1938).] Deductible expenses associated with income
that is individual property are deductible by the spouse who owns or earned the income, provided that
spouse paid the expenses from their individual property.

Wisconsin Treatment

Wisconsin follows the federal treatment of business expenses.

I. Self-Employment Taxes

Federal Treatment

There are no unique problems created by the Marital Property Act with regard to self-employment taxes if joint
returns are filed. However, where separate returns are filed, a determination must be made as to which spouse
is liable for the self-employment tax.

Sole Proprietorship. Net income from a trade or business (other than a partnership) is treated as income of the
spouse who exercises management and control over the trade or business. [Treas. Reg. 1.1402(a)-8(a); Heidig v.
Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1986-411; Tolotti v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1987-13.] Management and control
means actual management and control, not management and control imputed from spouse to spouse under
community property laws. [Treas. Reg. 1.1402(a)-8.] Therefore, the self-employment tax is imposed on the
spouse actually carrying on the trade or business.

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Example: Spouse A owns and operates a restaurant as a sole proprietorship. The net profit of the restaurant is
$46,000. Spouse A and Spouse B file separate returns. Each spouse would report $23,000 for income tax
purposes. However, Spouse A would be liable for the entire amount of self-employment tax on the $46,000.
Spouse B would not report any self-employment income. Each Schedule SE should indicate that it is being
prepared under the requirements of state marital property law to avoid confusion by the IRS in processing the
return.

Partnership. The distributive share of each married partner's income or loss from a partnership trade or business
is attributable to the partner for computing self-employment tax, even if a portion of the partner's distributive
share of income or loss is otherwise attributable to the partner's spouse for income tax purposes. [Treas.
Reg. 1.1402(a)-8(b).] If both spouses are partners, the self-employment tax is allocated based on their
distributive share. [Treas. Reg. 1.1402(a)-8(b).]

Wisconsin Treatment

The self-employment tax provisions do not apply for Wisconsin.

J. Earned Income Credit

Federal Treatment

Community property income splitting is disregarded in calculating the amount of earned income for purposes
of the earned income credit. [IRC § 32(c)(2)(B)(i).] However, community property splitting is considered in
determining adjusted gross income for purposes of income limitations under IRC §§ 32(a)(2) and 32(b), if a
taxpayer qualifies to file as head of household and is subject to community property laws. It should be noted,
however, that these limitations are the greater of adjusted gross income or earned income. [IRC § 32(a)(2)(B).]

Wisconsin Treatment

The Wisconsin earned income credit is a percentage of the federal earned income credit, based on the number
of qualifying children.

Caution: Wisconsin has not adopted the following changes to the federal earned income tax credit made by
Public Law 117-2. If any of these federal provisions apply, you must recompute your federal earned income tax
credit for Wisconsin purposes. Use either Worksheet A or Worksheet B in the 2022 Form 1040 instructions to
recompute your federal earned income tax credit for Wisconsin. Enter the recomputed federal credit on line 29
of Form 1 or line 60 of Form 1NPR.

• Raised the investment income limit to $10,300. For Wisconsin, the investment income limit is $3,800.
• Allows a married individual filing as married filing separate to claim the earned income tax credit if either
of the following apply:
 The individual lived apart from their spouse for the last 6 months of 2022.
 The individual has a decree of divorce or separate maintenance, a written separation agreement, or a
decree requiring a spouse to make payments for the support or maintenance of the other spouse and
does not live with the other spouse at the end of 2022.

For Wisconsin, a married individual filing as married filing separate cannot claim the earned income tax credit if
either of these situations apply.

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A married couple who claims the federal earned income credit on a joint federal return may also claim the
Wisconsin earned income credit on a joint Wisconsin return if they have at least one qualifying child and at least
one spouse is a full-year Wisconsin resident.

A married taxpayer who claims the federal earned income credit on a federal return using a head of household
filing status may also claim the Wisconsin earned income credit on a Wisconsin return using a head of household
filing status if the taxpayer has at least one qualifying child and is a full-year Wisconsin resident.

K. Child Care Credit

Federal Treatment

The child care credit is subject to an earned income limitation. A married taxpayer cannot claim more child care
expenses than the earned income of the lower-earning spouse. Because this is based on "earned income," the
limitation should be calculated ignoring income splitting. [IRC § 21(d).]

Example: Spouse A earns $25,000 in wages. Spouse B earns $4,000. They spend $4,500 on work related child
care expenses. They cannot claim more than $4,000 to figure the credit.

Generally married couples must file a joint return to take the credit. However, a married person may claim the
credit on a separate return if they had custody of the child for more than half of the year, if they paid more than
half of the cost of maintaining the home for the year and the other spouse did not live in the home for the last
six months of the year.

However, in this situation, if the child care expenditures were paid with marital property, the spouse with
custody of the child will only be able to claim half of the expenses. The other spouse will not be able to claim
the other half because that spouse does not qualify for the credit.

Wisconsin Treatment

Starting in 2022 Wisconsin is offering an additional Child and Dependent Care tax credit. You must have qualified
for the federal Child and Dependent Care tax credit, and you must have been a legal resident of Wisconsin for
the entire year, or, if filling a joint return, one spouse was a full-year resident. Further, no credit may be allowed
for a taxable year covering a period of less than 12 months, except for a taxable year closed by reason of death.
The credit is calculated by multiplying the federal credit by 50%.

When filing the Wisconsin Form 1 you must include a copy of your completed federal Form.

5. COLLECTION OF DELINQUENT TAXES

A. Delinquent Taxes and the Marital Property Act

Federal Treatment

Generally, when a taxpayer fails to pay back taxes after receiving a notice that they are owed and a demand for
payment from the IRS, a lien is created in favor of the IRS. This lien attaches to all the delinquent taxpayer's
property and rights to property. [IRC sec. 6321.] The IRS could collect any property subject to the lien to pay the
tax liability if it proceeds judicially. If the IRS proceeds administratively, certain exemptions are recognized by
federal law.

The major impact of the Marital Property Act is to alter spouses' property rights. If a taxpayer's property rights
are changed, the IRS' lien will be affected in the same way, because it attaches to the taxpayer's property and
rights to property.

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Also, the Marital Property Act classifies debts and gives creditors different collection remedies depending on
the type of debt. These state remedies also may be used by the IRS in addition to the collection authority given
under federal law.

The most important classification of debts under Wisconsin law is whether they "arose" before or after the
"determination date." The "determination date" is the date that spouses and their property become subject to
the Marital Property Act. [Sec. 766.01(5), Wis. Stats.] This date is after all the following have occurred:

• January 1, 1986
• The date the spouses were married
• The date that both spouses were "domiciled" in Wisconsin

As previously stated, the term "domicile" is a legal term that is similar to establishing permanent legal residency.

As will be discussed in the sections that follow, there are different federal tax collection consequences
depending on whether the debt "arose" before or after the spouses became subject to the Marital Property Act.
The date the debt "arises" would be the date that the act or omission that created the obligation occurred. Thus,
an income tax liability "arises" at the end of the tax year. It would not arise when the IRS assesses the liability
or demands payment.

Wisconsin Treatment

Wisconsin income taxes not paid by the due date are delinquent, and the Department of Revenue will begin
collection action. Any unpaid tax is a perfected lien in favor of the department upon all the debtor's property
and rights to property. The lien is effective at the time taxes are due or at the time an assessment is made, and
it continues until the liability is satisfied. [Sec. 71.91(4), Wis. Stats.]

Special presumptions apply to the collection of tax debts and other debts owed to the state. Generally, tax debts
are classified based on when the debt was incurred. The type of debt determines what property the Department
of Revenue can take to satisfy the debt.

All tax debts, including interest, penalties, and costs, incurred during marriage by a spouse after December 31,
1985, or after both spouses are domiciled in Wisconsin, whichever is later, are incurred in the interest of the
marriage or the family. [Sec. 71.91(3), Wis. Stats.] For Wisconsin income tax purposes, a tax debt, including
interest, penalties, and costs, is incurred on the date of the department's initial assessment or notice of the
amount due. [Sec. 71.91(2), Wis. Stats.] This treatment applies for debts incurred for the 1986 tax year and later
years.

As a result of these special presumptions which apply to the collection of delinquent Wisconsin taxes, the
property of spouses available to satisfy delinquent federal and state tax debts may differ. These differences will
be discussed in the sections that follow.

B. Delinquent Taxes Arising Before the Determination Date

Federal Treatment

As already discussed, the IRS has different collection rights depending on when the obligation was incurred. It
is the position of the IRS that delinquent taxes arising before the determination date (i.e., before the marriage,
January 1, 1986, or the date both spouses become domiciled in Wisconsin), the liability can be collected from
any of the following sources:

• All the property of the spouse who owes the taxes that is not marital property
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• Any part of marital property that would have been property of the spouse but for the marriage or the
enactment of marital property law
• The interest in marital property of the delinquent spouse (presumably half)

The creditor's rights to collect from the first two sources listed above are granted by the Marital Property Act.
[Sec. 766.55(2)(c)1. and 2., Wis. Stats.] The right of the federal government to collect from half of marital
property is a federal law consequence of the state law that gives each spouse a half interest in marital property.

The impact of the marital property law on tax debts that arose before the determination date is illustrated by
the following example:

Example: Spouse A and Spouse B are married during 2014. Spouse A owes taxes that arose before marriage.
Both Spouse A and Spouse B are employed and earn wages. Spouse A has real estate that was purchased during
2002. Spouse B owns stocks that were purchased during 2003. Under the Marital Property Act, the wages of
both spouses are marital property; however, Spouse A's wages would have been Spouse A's property alone but
for the marriage. The real estate is treated as if it were the individual property of Spouse A. The stocks are
treated as if they were the individual property of Spouse B. Therefore, the IRS could collect the delinquent taxes
from all of Spouse A's wages, half of Spouse B's wages, and all of Spouse A's real property. The stocks and half
of Spouse B's wages, as the property of Spouse B, would not be available to the IRS.

Although the Marital Property Act does not allow collection of predetermination date debts from marital
property [see sec. 766.55(2)(c)1. and 2., Wis. Stats.], these restrictions are not applicable to the collection of
unpaid federal taxes. Since federal law gives the IRS a lien against all the delinquent taxpayer's property and
rights to property, the federal tax lien would attach to the delinquent taxpayer's half interest in marital property
without regard to state law restrictions. [Vorhies v. Z Management, 87-1 U.S.T.C. 9200, 59 A.F.T.R.2d 87-658
(W.D. Wis. 1987); Medaris v. United States, 884 F.2d 832 (5th Cir. 1989); In re Ackerman, 424 F.2d 1148 (9th Cir.
1970); In re Overman, 424 F.2d 1142 (9th Cir. 1970); and Broday v. United States, 455 F.2d 1097 (5th Cir. 1972).]

Wisconsin Treatment

As previously indicated, for Wisconsin purposes a tax debt is incurred on the date of the department's initial
assessment or notice of the amount due. [Sec. 71.91(2), Wis. Stats.] However, this system of debt collection first
applies to the 1986 tax year. Pre-1986 tax year debts are collected as predetermination date debts.

Predetermination date debts may be collected from the following sources:

• All nonmarital property of the spouse who incurred the debt

• That part of the marital property which would have been the debtor spouse's property if unmarried

The collection of Wisconsin income tax debts is illustrated by the following examples:

Example 1: Assume that the facts are the same as in the federal example on page 35. The department may
collect the predetermination date tax debt from Spouse A's wages and Spouse A's real property. Spouse B's
wages and Spouse B's stock are not available to the department to satisfy Spouse A's tax debt that arose before
marriage.

Example 2: Assume the same facts as in Example 1, but the department issues an assessment to Spouse A in
2015 for the tax year 2013. Tax debts for the 1986 tax year and later tax years are incurred on the date of the
department's assessment. Therefore, Spouse A's 2013 tax debt is considered to be incurred in the interest of
the marriage and the family because it was assessed after the determination date and during marriage. In this
case, the debt is collected as explained in Part C on page 37 under "Wisconsin Treatment."

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C. Delinquent Taxes Arising After the Determination Date

Federal Treatment

If the federal tax liability arose after the determination date (i.e., after the date of marriage, January 1, 1986,
and the date both spouses become domiciled in Wisconsin), the property that the IRS may use to satisfy
delinquent taxes is different from that which may be used to satisfy a predetermination date debt.

The Marital Property Act classifies post-determination date debts as follows:

• Those that are incurred in the interest of the marriage and the family (family purpose obligations), and
• Those that are not incurred in the interest of the marriage and family (non-family purpose obligations).

[See sec. 766.55(1), Wis. Stats.] The remedies available to the IRS are different for each type of debt.

There is a presumption under the Marital Property Act that debts arising after marriage and after the effective
date of the Act are family purpose obligations. The law therefore assumes that the debt was incurred in the
interest of the marriage or family, unless the taxpayer shows otherwise. [Sec. 766.55(1), Wis. Stats.]

It is the position of the IRS that most taxes and penalties are family purpose obligations. In other community
property jurisdictions, an obligation need not benefit the family directly to have a family purpose. All that is
required is a relationship between the obligation and a business that benefits the community. [See, e.g., Garrett
v. Shannon, 13 Ariz. App. 332, 476 P.2d 538 (1970).] Since most taxes are incurred to generate income benefiting
the family, they are family purpose obligations.

Example: Most income taxes are generated by wages, which are marital property, or by other income, which is
used to support the marriage or family. Since there is a direct benefit to the marriage or family by the receipt
of the income, the obligation for the taxes which attaches to the income is also family purpose. [See DeFuniak,
Principles of Community Property at 241 (1943); Wine v. Wine, 14 Ariz. App. 103, 480 P.2d 1020 (1971); and
sec. 71.91(3), Wis. Stats. (state taxes are family purpose by statute).] Most employment tax liabilities are
incurred by a spouse operating a sole proprietorship to support the family. Similarly, trust recovery penalties
are incurred by a spouse working for wages to support the family. Accordingly, they should be family purpose.
[Hyde v. United States, 93-2 U.S.T.C. ¶ 50,605, 72 A.F.T.R.2d ¶ 93-6150 (D. Ariz. 1993).] Therefore, the IRS
believes that most taxes are family purpose obligations.

Regarding family purpose obligations arising after the determination date, these debts can be collected from
any of the following sources:

• All of the property of the spouse who owes the taxes that is not marital property
• All marital property

[See sec. 766.55(2)(b), Wis. Stats.]

Regarding non-family purpose obligations arising after marriage and after January 1, 1986, these debts can be
collected from any of the following sources:

• All of the property of the spouse who owes the taxes that is not marital property
• half of marital property

[See sec. 766.55(2)(d), Wis. Stats.]

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This effect of the marital property law in these situations is illustrated by the following example:

Example: Spouse A and Spouse B were married during 2017. For 2018, Spouse A filed a separate income tax
return reporting a tax liability but did not pay the tax due. Spouse A and Spouse B both are earning wages.
Spouse A owns real estate purchased during 2016. Spouse B has stock purchased during 2016. The wages of
both spouses are marital property. The real estate is the individual property of Spouse A, and the stock is the
individual property of Spouse B. An income tax liability incurred after marriage is probably a family purpose
obligation. Therefore, the IRS could collect the tax due from all of either spouse's wages, or the real estate. The
stock would not be subject to the claim, because it is not marital property or the individual property of the
spouse who owes the tax liability. If the tax liability was not a family purpose obligation, the IRS could only
collect the debt from one-half of each spouse's wages and the real property.

Wisconsin Treatment

As for federal purposes, the type of debt determines what property the department can take to satisfy it. Tax
debts, including interest, penalties, and costs, for 1986 and later tax years incurred during marriage by a spouse
after the determination date are incurred in the interest of the marriage or the family. Therefore, the following
property is available for collection:

• All marital property

• All other property of the spouse who incurred the debt

[See secs. 71.91(3), 766.55(2)(b), and 859.18, Wis. Stats.]

If the department determines that one spouse is an "innocent spouse" and, therefore, is relieved from liability
for the debt, the department may collect the debt from the following property:

• All nonmarital property of the spouse who incurred the debt

• The debtor spouse's interest in marital property, in that order

[See secs. 71.91(3) and 766.55(2)(d), Wis. Stats.]

Therefore, even though a spouse may be an "innocent spouse" under sec. 71.10(6), Wis. Stats., a portion of the
marital property income that their property or services produced may be used to satisfy a tax debt of the other
spouse.

D. Bankruptcy Marital Property Implications

Federal Treatment

The impact of the Marital Property Act on bankruptcy is greatest in situations where only one spouse owes
taxes, and that spouse files a separate bankruptcy petition without their spouse. Where this happens, all marital
property, including the interest of the spouse who is not in bankruptcy, may be subject to the bankruptcy
proceeding.

Under federal law, property that is part of the bankruptcy proceeding is referred to as being part of the "debtor's
estate." The amount that creditors receive from the bankruptcy often depends on the value and amount of
property that is included in the estate. If more property is included in the estate, it is more likely a creditor will
be able to collect an unpaid debt.

Under sec. 766.55, Wis. Stats., debts incurred in the interest of the marriage or family may be satisfied from all
marital property. All debts incurred by either spouse after the marriage are rebuttably presumed to be incurred

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in the interest of the marriage or family. Because a creditor could collect a debt from both spouses' halves of an
item of marital property, that item would be included in the bankruptcy estate. This is so even though one
spouse is not in bankruptcy.

Where a spouse who owes taxes files a separate petition in bankruptcy, the IRS, like any other creditor, attempts
to collect as much tax as it is entitled to by law. In that case, the IRS will:

• Decide if the spouse who is not in bankruptcy has delinquent tax liabilities, and
• Decide if all assets that should be included in the bankruptcy estate have been disclosed.

Where only one spouse owes taxes and the other spouse files a separate bankruptcy petition, the IRS may file
a claim in the bankruptcy relating to the liability of the spouse who is not in bankruptcy. This protects the IRS's
claim to any marital property.

Also, where one spouse files a bankruptcy petition, only the petitioning spouse receives a discharge. However,
a creditor cannot collect a debt, for which the petitioning spouse received a discharge, from post-petition
property that the petitioning spouse has an interest (i.e., the petitioning spouse's individual property and all the
marital property). Since the petitioning spouse has an interest in all marital property, the nonpetitioning spouse
receives a "hypothetical" discharge. Debts for which the petitioning spouse receives a discharge can be collected
from the nonpetitioning spouse's individual property. If the marital community is terminated by death or divorce
or the spouses move to a noncommunity property state, then the debts can be collected from all the property
of the nonpetitioning spouse.

Wisconsin Treatment

The Marital Property Act impacts various aspects of bankruptcy law in cases of married persons filing for relief
under the bankruptcy code. A "claim against the debtor" includes a claim against the debtor or the debtor's
property. [11 U.S.C. sec. 102(2).] Additionally, the bankruptcy estate under 11 U.S.C. sec. 541(a) includes
nonmarital property of the spouse filing for bankruptcy, together with the marital property of both spouses,
even if one spouse doesn't join in the bankruptcy petition. Since marital property of spouses can be reached in
varying degrees by a creditor of either spouse in the case of a marital, premarital, or predetermination date
debt, creditors pursuing debts incurred by the spouse who is not filing for bankruptcy will now participate in
separate bankruptcy petitions filed by the other spouse.

When a spouse who doesn't owe delinquent taxes files a separate bankruptcy petition and the department has
a marital, premarital, or predetermination date tax delinquency against the other spouse, the department may
file a proof of claim representing the taxes owed by the spouse who isn't filing for bankruptcy. If both the spouse
who is filing for bankruptcy and the spouse who isn't joining in the bankruptcy petition have incurred tax
liabilities, proof of claim will be filed covering both spouses' obligations. In the case of a joint bankruptcy
petition, proof of claim will be filed for both spouses' obligations. Generally, the department handles bankruptcy
matters on a case-by-case basis.

E. Refund Offset Program

Federal Treatment

Section 6402(a) of the IRC gives the IRS authority to take current year tax refunds and apply them to unpaid
taxes from prior years. Sections 6402(c), (d), and (e) of the IRC give the IRS authority to offset refunds for debts
owed other federal agencies, past due child support, and legally enforceable state income tax obligations. This
procedure is referred to as "refund offset."

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The enactment of the Marital Property Act affects the refund offset procedures largely in the area of so-called
"injured spouse" claims. An injured spouse claim arises where spouses file a joint return claiming a refund. The
IRS will offset the entire refund if either or both spouses are liable for past due child support, back taxes, or
other federal obligations. If only one of the spouses is liable for the debt, the IRS will still offset the entire refund.
This is done even though the other spouse may have a claim to part of the refund. The spouse who does not
owe the obligation (the "injured spouse") could file a claim for their portion of the refund. These types of claims
are called "injured spouse" claims.

Currently, the IRS has been encouraging spouses to file injured spouse claims with their original returns. Where
a claim is received, the IRS would only offset the portion of the refund that belongs to the taxpayer who owes
the debt. If no claim is filed, however, the IRS will still offset 100% of the refund.

Whether taxpayers live in community property states or common law states, the question that must be
answered in processing an injured spouse claim is the same: What portion of the refund rightfully belongs to
the injured spouse? In common law states, each spouse's tax liability is calculated separately based on their
separate earnings or income.

Payments are also divided between the spouses and applied to their separate liabilities. This allows the IRS to
decide the amount of each spouse's separate share of the refund. [See Rev. Rul. 80-7 and Rev. Rul. 80-8.] Since
the Marital Property Act changes spouses' property rights, it also changes the formula for determining each
spouse's interest in an income tax refund.

Under the Marital Property Act, the allocation would be based on distinguishing between marital and individual
property. Marital property income is split equally between the spouses. Income that is not marital property will
be allocated to the spouse who owns it. If it is not clear from the return whether the income is marital property,
the income will be treated as marital property. The IRS will make this assumption because the Marital Property
Act creates a rebuttable presumption that all property of spouses is marital property. [See sec. 766.31(1) and
(2), Wis. Stats.] Withholding from wages and payments from a joint declaration of estimated tax will be treated
as marital property and split equally between the spouses. Payments received from a separate declaration of
estimated tax will be treated as the separate property of the spouse who made the declaration.

With respect to offsets involving child support, debts owed to other Federal agencies, or state income tax
obligations, if an injured spouse claim is filed, the IRS will only offset the portion of the refund that represents
the liable spouse's share of marital property or individual property. [Oatman v. Secretary of the Treasury,
34 F.3d 787 (9th Cir. 1994).] With respect to offsets for federal tax obligations, the IRS is entitled to any remedies
that would be available to it to collect the tax under state or Federal law. These remedies may give the IRS a
larger portion of the refund than it would be entitled to with respect to a nontax obligation. This will depend on
the characterization of the obligation (whether it was incurred before or after the determination date and
whether it was family purpose) and the source of the refund.

If the federal tax obligation was incurred before the determination date, the IRS can retain the portion of the
refund that is the liable spouse's individual property, the liable spouse's share of the refund that is marital
property, and any portion of the refund that would have been the liable spouse's but for the marriage or the
Marital Property Act. If the debt was incurred after the determination date, and it was family purpose, the IRS
may offset all of the refund attributable to the liable spouse's individual property and all of the refund that is
marital property. If the obligation was incurred after the determination date and is not family purpose, the IRS
may offset all of the refund attributable to the spouse's individual property and half of the refund attributable
to marital property. For a more complete discussion of these remedies and the legal basis for them, see Part 5.,
A. through C., on pages 33 to 37.

Example: Liable Spouse and Non-Liable Spouse file a joint return for Year 3, reporting an overpayment of
$100.00. After allocating the tax liability, $75.00 of the overpayment is attributable to taxes withheld from Liable

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Spouse's wages, and $25.00 of the overpayment is attributable to taxes withheld from Non-Liable Spouse's
wages. If the liability was for past due child support, a debt to another federal agency, or state income tax
obligation, the IRS could offset the portion of the refund attributable to Liable Spouse's individual property and
the Liable Spouse's interest in the portion of the refund attributable to marital property. The wages are marital
property and consequently the withholding credits from the wages are also marital property. [Treas. Reg.
§1.31-1(a).] Therefore, the Liable Spouse's share of the marital property would be $50, made up of $37.50 from
the Liable Spouse's withholding and $12.50 of the Non-Liable spouse's withholding.

If the liability was for federal taxes incurred before the determination date, the IRS could offset the Liable
Spouse's individual property, the Liable Spouse's share of marital property, and any portion of the refund that
would have been the Liable Spouse's but for the marriage or the Marital Property Act. This amount would be
$87.50. This is made up of the Liable Spouse's share of the community property portion of the refund ($37.50
from the Liable Spouse's withholding and $12.50 of the Non-Liable spouse's withholding), plus the portion of
the refund that would have been the Liable Spouse's but for the marriage or the Marital Property Act (the other
half of the refund attributable to Liable Spouse's withholding or $37.50). [Also see discussion in Rev. Rul.
2004-71, Situation 2.]

If the liability was for federal taxes incurred after the determination date and was a family purpose obligation,
the IRS would be entitled to offset the portion of the refund that is the Liable Spouse's individual property and
all the refund that is marital property. This amount would be $100 since the entire refund is marital property.
[Also see discussion in Rev. Rul. 2004-71, Situation 4.]

If the liability was for post-determination date federal taxes not incurred in the interest of the marriage or
family, the IRS would be entitled to offset all of the refund attributable to the spouse's individual property and
half of the refund attributable to marital property. Since the entire refund is marital property the amount offset
would be $50, made up of $37.50 from the Liable Spouse's withholding and $12.50 of the Non-Liable Spouse's
withholding. [Also see discussion in Rev. Rul. 2004-71, Situation 3.]

Wisconsin Treatment

Chapter 71 of the Wisconsin Statutes contains special rules for the application of overpayments, refundable
credits, or refunds claimed on joint, separate, or individual returns against amounts owed to the Department of
Revenue, debts owed to other state agencies, municipalities or counties, or delinquent child or spousal support.
As previously explained, for Wisconsin purposes, any tax debt is incurred on the date of the department's initial
assessment or notice of the amount due. [Sec. 71.91(2), Wis. Stats.] All tax debts incurred by a spouse during
marriage after the determination date are incurred in the interest of the marriage or the family and may be
satisfied only from all marital property and all other property of the incurring spouse. [Secs. 71.91(3),
766.55(2)(b), and 859.18, Wis. Stats.]

However, if an "innocent spouse" exists (that is, a spouse is relieved of liability under sec. 71.10(6)(a) or (b) or
(6m)(a), Wis. Stats.), the obligation of the other spouse may be satisfied only from property of the debtor spouse
that isn't marital property and from that spouse's interest in marital property, in that order. [See secs. 71.91(3)
and 766.55(2)(d), Wis. Stats.; see also the set-off provisions under secs. 71.55(1), 71.61(1), and 71.80(3) and
(3m), Wis. Stats.]

Effective for a judgment of divorce entered on or after June 21, 1996, the department may not apply an
overpayment, credit, or refund otherwise due an individual against any tax liability owed to the department by
the individual or by the former spouse of the individual if (1) a judgment of divorce apportions that liability to
the former spouse of the individual, and (2) if the individual provides the department with a copy of the
judgment of divorce that apportions the tax liability. [Sec. 71.10(6m)(b), Wis. Stats.]

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A claim for refund on a separate return must be issued to the filer of that return, and a refund payable on a joint
return must be issued jointly to the persons who filed that return. [Sec. 71.75(8), Wis. Stats.] In addition, a
marital property agreement or a unilateral statement cannot affect claims for refund. [Sec. 71.75(6), Wis. Stats.]

Note: Effective for a judgment of divorce entered on or after October 29, 1999, if the judgment of divorce
apportions any refund that may be due to one of the former spouses, or between the spouses, the department
will issue the refund to the person to whom the refund is awarded under the terms of the judgment of divorce
or the department will issue one check to each of the former spouses according to the apportionment terms of
the judgment. A copy of that portion of the judgment of divorce that relates to the apportionment of the tax
refund must be included with the income tax return. [Sec. 71.75(8), Wis. Stats.]

(1) Joint Return

The department must give notice to spouses who have filed a joint return that it intends to reduce an
overpayment, credit, or refund claimed by the amount of any liability. The amount will be credited against
the liability unless, within 20 days of the notice date, the spouse who didn't incur the debt shows by clear
and convincing evidence that the refund is their nonmarital property. If a spouse doesn't receive notice of
the proposed offset and if the refund is incorrectly credited, a claim for refund of the incorrectly credited
amount may be filed within two years after the date of the offset.

Notwithstanding sec. 766.55(2)(d), Wis. Stats., the department may apply an overpayment from a joint
return as follows:

• Against any liability from a joint return, unless an "innocent spouse" exists.
• Against any separate liability incurred during marriage by either spouse after the determination date,
unless the spouse who doesn't owe the debt is an "innocent spouse."
• Against any amount owed the Department of Revenue that was incurred before January 1, 1986, or
before marriage, whichever is later, to the extent that the refund is based on the Wisconsin adjusted
gross income which would have been the property of the incurring spouse but for the marriage.
• Against any separate liability incurred by either spouse before the determination date to the extent that
the refund is based on the Wisconsin adjusted gross income which would have been the property of the
incurring spouse but for the marriage.

[Sec. 71.80(3m), Wis. Stats.]

If an "innocent spouse" exists, the overpayment is prorated based on the ratio of the amount that would be
the "guilty" or incurring spouse's income if not married to the total income of the spouses.

(2) Separate or Individual Return

The Department of Revenue presumes that an overpayment, credit, or refund claimed on a separate or
individual return is the nonmarital property of the filer. The department may credit such an overpayment
against amounts owed the department, debts owed other state agencies, municipalities or counties, or
delinquent child or spousal support owed by the filer. However, the spouse or former spouse of the filer
may be able to claim a refund of amounts credited. The claim for refund must be made within two years
after the overpayment was credited. The spouse who didn't incur the debt must be able to show by clear
and convincing evidence that all or part of the overpayment was their nonmarital property.

Overpayments from separate or individual returns may be applied as follows:

• Against any separate liability incurred by the filer of the return

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• Against any liability from a joint return, unless the filer is an "innocent spouse"

[Sec. 71.80(3), Wis. Stats.]

F. Offers in Compromise

Federal Treatment

The IRS is permitted to compromise delinquent tax liabilities, based upon "doubt as to collectability." [IRC
sec. 7122.] In an offer in compromise, the IRS may accept less than the full amount of tax due, if the taxpayer
can show that the amount he is offering is greater than the IRS would collect by selling the taxpayer's assets or
from future income.

Based on the type of liability involved (pre- or post-determination date), and subject to the rules regarding
collection sources discussed in the Delinquent Taxes sections of this publication, the IRS may consider all or part
of existing marital property assets in evaluating the sufficiency of an offer in compromise. In evaluating the
sufficiency of an offer in compromise, where appropriate, a revenue officer may consider the income of the
spouse who does not owe the tax. In addition to offers based on doubt as to collectability, there are also offers
available based on doubt as to liability and to promote effective tax administration. The existence of marital
property laws does not impact directly on these types of offers. See IRS Form 656, Offer in Compromise, for
more information on offers in compromise.

Wisconsin Treatment

The Department of Revenue is also permitted to compromise delinquent tax liabilities in cases where the
taxpayer is unable to pay the full amount. [Sec. 71.92, Wis. Stats.] The department may consider the income of
the spouse who doesn't owe the tax. In addition, the Department of Revenue is permitted to compromise
nondelinquent tax liabilities. See Wisconsin Publication 124, Petition for Compromise of Taxes – Inability to Pay,
for more information.

6. FEDERAL TAX BASIS

Federal Treatment

Under the IRC, the tax basis of property acquired from a decedent is the property's fair market value on the date of
the decedent's death. [IRC sec. 1014(a).] If one-half of a decedent's interest in community property is includible in
a decedent's estate, the Code adjusts the basis of both halves of the property to fair market value. These concepts
are important in Wisconsin because Wisconsin marital property would be considered community property for
purposes of these IRC provisions.

The following example illustrates some of the rules regarding basis:

Example: Spouse A and Spouse B are married and reside in Wisconsin. Spouse A owns stock acquired before
marriage for $1,000 and held as individual property. Spouse A and Spouse B acquired real estate in Illinois for $500,
which was acquired before the determination date. They hold this property as joint tenants. Spouse A and Spouse
B also own a home in Wisconsin. They acquired the home for $2,000 and hold it as marital property. Spouse A dies
leaving their half interest in the house and all the stock to their son, Individual S. The Illinois property passes by
operation of law to Spouse B. On the day Spouse A died, the stock was worth $2,000, the Illinois property was worth
$1,500, and the house was worth $10,000. Spouse A's stock interest in the Illinois property, and interest in the house
are all includible in Spouse A's federal gross estate. What are Individual S and Spouse B's tax bases in the described
assets? Individual S's basis in the stock is $2,000. Spouse A's basis in the half interest in the house is $5,000. Spouse
B's half interest in the Illinois property that she acquired from Spouse A is $750. The basis of their own interest

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would not be adjusted and would remain at $250. Spouse B's basis in their half interest in the house, however, is
adjusted to $5,000.

Under Wisconsin law, it is possible for property to be titled as individual property or in a common law estate (e.g.,
joint tenancy or tenancy in common), but still be marital property. The IRS has ruled that this property qualifies for
the double basis adjustment applied to community property. [Rev. Rul. 87-98.] Because of this, it is necessary to
know when property is actually held as marital property.

The general rule is that property acquired by spouses after the determination date is rebuttably presumed to be
marital property [Sec. 766.31(1), (2) and (4), Wis. Stats.], but there are exceptions. [Sec. 766.31(7), Wis. Stats.] For
example, property received in exchange for individual property of a spouse is individual property. [Sec. 766.31(7)(b),
Wis. Stats.] Property received by gift or inheritance by one spouse but not the other is the individual property of
that spouse. [Sec. 766.31(7)(a), Wis. Stats.] Also, the appreciation in value of individual property of a spouse is
individual property, unless it can be attributed to efforts of either spouse that were not reasonably compensated.
[Secs. 766.31(7)(c) and 766.63, Wis. Stats.]

Property acquired by a spouse before a marriage occurring after January 1, 1986, is their individual property.
[Sec. 766.31(6), Wis. Stats.] Property owned by a spouse before January 1, 1986, or before both spouses establish a
Wisconsin domicile is not reclassified but is treated as individual property. [Sec. 766.31(9), Wis. Stats.] This property
would not be eligible for the double basis adjustment.

Property that is individual property can be reclassified in several different ways under the Act. The simplest way is
by entering into a marital property agreement. [Sec. 766.31(10), Wis. Stats.]

It may also be converted by mixing it with marital property. If the individual property component cannot be traced,
it becomes marital property. [Sec. 766.63(1), Wis. Stats.] Also, if either spouse provides substantial uncompensated
efforts that cause appreciation to individual property, the appreciation in value is marital property. [Sec. 766.63(2),
Wis. Stats.] If all or part of individual property is converted to marital property and either spouse dies, the marital
property portion qualifies for a double basis adjustment.

There are also specific statutory rules for property acquired in common law estates after the determination date.
Property titled in tenancy in common or joint tenancy is marital property under the following conditions:

• Acquisition after the determination date in joint tenancy exclusively between spouses is survivorship marital
property, unless the property was acquired by gift where the donor provided otherwise. [Sec. 766.60(4)(b)2.,
Wis. Stats.]
• Acquisition in tenancy in common after the determination date exclusively between the spouses is marital
property, unless the property was acquired by gift where the donor provided otherwise. [Sec. 766.60(4)(b)2.,
Wis. Stats.]

The Marital Property Act contains a provision allowing a surviving spouse to elect to have certain predetermination
date property treated as marital property ("deferred marital property"). [Sec. 861.02, Wis. Stats.] Since this property
was not marital property at the time of the death of the decedent spouse, it does not qualify for the double basis
adjustment under IRC sec. 1014(b)(6). [Cf., Murphy v. Commissioner, 342 F.2d 356 (9th Cir. 1965).] But, any property
or interest in property included in the decedent's estate would still receive a basis adjustment to fair market value.

Transfers to a spouse which are returned to the donor spouse after death of the donee within one year. It is possible
under a marital property agreement for a spouse owning nonmarital property to transmute that property into
marital property by way of a marital property agreement. If the property becomes marital property, and the original
"nontitled" spouse dies within one year, bequeathing the marital share back to the transferring spouse, it is the
position of the IRS that IRC sec. 1014(e) prohibits a double basis adjustment. This means that the donor spouse who

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reacquires the property receives the portion from decedent using that adjusted basis prior to death and receives no
basis adjustment on the marital half owned by them.

Joint tenancy and tenancy in common acquired before determination date. Absent a marital property agreement or
another occurrence reclassifying the property, this form of ownership will not be considered marital property and,
therefore, only receives a basis adjustment on the portion includible in the estate.

Marital property component. Under sec. 766.63(2), Wis. Stats., it is possible to have a marital property component
arising from individual property where either spouse provides substantial efforts that caused appreciation. For this
situation to create marital property, the spouse contributing services must not be reasonably compensated.

Under sec. 766.63(1), Wis. Stats., it is also possible to convert individual property to marital property by mixing it
with marital property. This creates a marital property component if the marital property can be traced. Otherwise,
the mixing converts the individual property to marital property. To the extent that individual property is converted
to marital property under these rules, it will receive a double basis adjustment.

Example: If one spouse owns nonmarital property worth $50,000 that was increased in value to $100,000 solely
through the efforts of either spouse, that $50,000 appreciation in value would be a marital property component
which would receive the benefits of IRC sec. 1014(b)(6).

Wisconsin Treatment

The Wisconsin basis of property acquired from a decedent is determined under sec. 1014 of the IRC. However, for
deaths occurring before January 1, 1992, a modification may be necessary to recognize any difference between the
federal estate tax and Wisconsin inheritance tax values. [Sec. 71.05(10)(e), Wis. Stats.]

Caution: A basis adjustment may be down as well as up.

For Wisconsin income tax purposes, the exchange of former marital property interests between a surviving spouse
and a distributee of the decedent spouse is a nontaxable exchange. Any gain or loss recognized on such an exchange
for federal income tax purposes is treated as a subtraction from or an addition to federal adjusted gross income, as
appropriate, on the Wisconsin income tax return. [Sec. 71.05(6)(a)16. and (b)12., Wis. Stats.] The exchange is
treated for basis purposes as if each asset received in the exchange were acquired by gift from the other party.
[Sec. 71.05(12)(d), Wis. Stats.]

7. S CORPORATIONS

S Corporation Elections

Federal Treatment

Under current law, all persons who are shareholders of a corporation must consent to a subchapter S election for
the election to be valid. [IRC sec. 1362(a)(2).] The consents are filed with the IRS. Where shares of stock are held as
community property, both spouses are treated as shareholders, and the consent of both spouses is required. [Treas.
Reg. 1.1362-6(b)(2).] If the consent of both spouses is not obtained, the election is invalid. [Clemens v.
Commissioner, T.C. Memo 1969-235, aff'd per curiam, 453 F.2d 869 (9th Cir. 1971).] Because marital property is a
form of community property, these rules also apply to subchapter S corporation stock held as marital property.

Taxpayers can obtain automatic relief for making late consents to S corporation elections in community property
states as long as the initial election was invalid merely because Form 2553, Election by a Small Business Corporation,
did not contain the signature of a spouse who was a shareholder due to state community property laws, and both
spouses have reported all items of income consistent with the S Corporation election on all affected federal returns.
[Rev. Proc. 2004-35.]
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Wisconsin Treatment

For Wisconsin purposes, a tax-option (S) corporation is defined as a corporation which is treated as an S corporation
under Subchapter S of the IRC and has not elected out of tax-option corporation status under sec. 71.365(4)(a), Wis.
Stats. If a federal S election isn't valid because both spouses didn't consent, then the election won't be valid for
Wisconsin purposes either.

8. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If, after reading this publication, you have further questions about the federal or Wisconsin treatment of items
under Wisconsin's Marital Property Act, please contact the following:

Federal Questions
Phone: 1-800-829-1040

Wisconsin Questions
Mail Stop 6-40
Wisconsin Department of Revenue
Technical Services Staff
P.O. Box 8933
Madison, WI 53708-8933
Phone: (608) 266-2772
Email: [email protected]

Applicable Laws and Rules

This document provides statements or interpretations of the following laws and regulations in effect as of February
17, 2022: chs. 71, 766, 859, and 861, Wis. Stats., titles 11, 26, and 42 of the IRC, and title 26 of the Code of Federal
Regulations
Laws enacted and in effect after this date, new administrative rules, and court decisions may change the
interpretations in this document. Guidance issued prior to this date, that is contrary to the information in this
document is superseded by this document, according to sec. 73.16(2)(a), Wis. Stats.

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