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Difference between revisions of "Lawyers & The Law Society"
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Lawyers & The Law Society (view source)
Revision as of 02:19, 18 February 2013
, 02:19, 18 February 2013→Tax Deductions for Legal Fees
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The portion of a lawyer's bill attributable to obtaining or enforcing an order for child support or spousal support is tax deductible. The cost of defending a claim for spousal support or child support is not deductible. | The portion of a lawyer's bill attributable to obtaining or enforcing an order for child support or spousal support is tax deductible. The cost of defending a claim for spousal support or child support is not deductible. | ||
To claim this deduction, the lawyer must write a letter to the Canada Revenue Agency setting out what portion of his or her fees were attributable to advancing a spousal or child support claim. If you intend to ask your lawyer for a letter like this, you must tell your lawyer as soon as possible, preferably the moment the lawyer takes your case. Lawyers do not keep track of things like this automatically, because it involves extra work and cost to the client which may outweigh the tax benefit. | To claim this deduction, the lawyer must write a letter to the Canada Revenue Agency setting out what portion of his or her fees were attributable to advancing a spousal or child support claim. If you intend to ask your lawyer for a letter like this, you must tell your lawyer as soon as possible, preferably the moment the lawyer takes your case. Lawyers do not keep track of things like this automatically, mostly because it involves extra work and cost to the client which may outweigh the tax benefit. | ||
If you don't ask your lawyer about this at the beginning of his or her retainer, it may be impossible to winnow out the parts of the lawyer's bills that were dedicated to support issues, and the cost of the time your lawyer spends reviewing your file and his or her bills to figure this out may cost more than the deduction you will get. | If you don't ask your lawyer about this at the beginning of his or her retainer, it may be impossible to winnow out the parts of the lawyer's bills that were dedicated to support issues, and the cost of the time your lawyer spends reviewing your file and his or her bills to figure this out may cost more than the deduction you will get. | ||
