Good News For Women and Men Who Seek Innocent Spouse Relief

A JOURNEY TO SEEK AND WIN INNOCENT SPOUSE RELIEF, PLUS SO MUCH MORE

The IRS Monday changed its rules to make it a little easier for women and men who seek innocent spouse tax relief. They dropped the rule that required filing within two years. People familiar with the code --both inside and outside the IRS -- considered the time limit unduly stringent. Innocent spouse cases typically are messy. It can take years for the fraud to emerge and the spouse left "holding the bag" to get their legal case organized. I was fortunate. I knew within two weeks of my husband's death, but my case was relatively clear cut. Howard committed a crime that was routine in the restaurant business and fairly transparent. 

Since publication of my memoir, "Innocent Spouse," I hear daily from people who want to file for innocent spouse relief. Mostly women but also men. Their stories are harrowing, often making mine pale in comparison. Some are married to people who committed elaborate schemes and cons. Some are married to people who are in jail. Some have been physically abused and are afraid to seek a defense. Each and every one of them is scared and trying to figure it out, or did get it figured out and are trying to put their lives back together. So, this is a big day for a lot of those individuals.

In a statement the IRS Commissioner, Doug Shulman, said, "Today's change will help innocent spouses victimized in the past, present and future." For more about the nuts and bolts of the decision read Robert Wood's column on forbes.com. I'm delighted to give the shout out to Rob because he gave my book a rave review, but even without that he is a respected go-to columnist on tax issues.

While "Innocent Spouse" has many threads -- surviving grief, the challenges of solo parenting, keeping a bankrupt small business afloat, rebuilding one's life -- it is also a journey inside the legal struggle to win innocent spouse relief. I succeeded, with the help of great lawyers, Sheldon Cohen and Miriam Fisher, but it took more than a year, and my defense met all the IRS requirements. Please check it out. Buy one for yourself and another for a friend!