Can I claim that someone owes me money if I was awarded alimony in a divorce settlement and it was never paid?

[crawford.chareena]

It was my exhusband that was ordered to pay alimony and child support and it is stated in my divorce decree.

[DoninGA]

Being owed spousal support and child support is not reported on a tax return.

If the divorce or separation settlement was made after 12/31/2018 then alimony (spousal support) is not entered on a tax return.

You need to discuss with your attorney your best course of action for this problem.

[MindyB]

Unfortunately, the IRS does not allow you to claim unpaid alimony or child support as a tax deduction or a "bad debt." This is because you only report income on your taxes when you actually receive it and since you never received the money, you never paid taxes on it, and the IRS won't let you deduct a "loss" for money that was never taxed in the first place.