**Tax Year 2018 or earlier** I was wondering if in my divorce decree I am ordered to pay some of ex wife's bills. Car payment, cell phone bill, her car insurance. Can I deduct it, as alimonypaid

[MichaelL1 · Accepted solution]

Property settlement and alimony are different.  If you split up some bills when divorced that is property settlement and does not get entered in the return.

Source of below: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc452

Alimony Requirements

A payment is alimony only if all the following requirements are met:

• The spouses don't file a joint return with each other;
• The payment is in cash (including checks or money orders);
• The payment is to or for a spouse or a former spouse made under a divorce or separation instrument;
• The divorce or separation instrument doesn't designate the payment as not alimony;
• The spouses aren't members of the same household when the payment is made (This requirement applies only if the spouses are legally separated under a decree of divorce or of separate maintenance.);
• There's no liability to make the payment (in cash or property) after the death of the recipient spouse; and
• The payment isn't treated as child support or a property settlement.