Clear Money Guide
What this guide covers
A quick view of the questions and evidence developed below.
Updated July 31, 2026. Quick answer: three things decide most of the money in a divorce and none of them is the headline number. First, equal value is not equal money: two accounts of identical size can be worth very different amounts after tax, because basis and tax treatment transfer with the asset. Second, retirement accounts split by two completely different mechanisms – a QDRO for employer plans and a transfer incident to divorce for IRAs – and using the wrong one can create a taxable distribution out of nothing. Third, your filing status for the entire year is decided by your marital status on December 31, which makes the timing of the final decree a tax decision. Get these three right before arguing about anything else.
Related reading on this site: IRS Tax Topic 452.
More on public pension systems, topic by topic: Arkansas LOPFI benefit payment options and Kansas KPERS QDRO payments.
More on public pension systems, topic by topic: Arkansas ATRS divorce and QDRO and Nebraska NPERS qualified domestic relations order.
More on public pension systems, topic by topic: Ohio SERS divorce and support orders.
More on public pension systems, topic by topic: NHRS divorce and QDRO.
More on public pension systems, topic by topic: PA SERS domestic relations orders.
More on public pension systems, topic by topic: NJ PFRS divorce court orders.
More IRS forms and schedules, read line by line: Form SS-5 instructions and Form 8857 innocent spouse relief.
Filing for divorce in one of these states? The court’s official forms, the filing fee, the waiting period and where a settlement agreement fits, from each state’s own documents: California divorce forms, Florida divorce forms, Indiana divorce forms, Missouri divorce forms, Texas divorce forms, Washington divorce forms and Wisconsin divorce forms.
Related guides on this topic: COBRA After Divorce and Estimated Taxes After Divorce.
One common divorce money question: Selling a House After Divorce.
Splitting retirement accounts
- Your IRA Cannot Be Split by QDRO
- Rolling a QDRO Share Into an IRA Closes Your Penalty-Free Window
- The Four Things a QDRO Must Say or the Plan Rejects It
Basis, the house, and what things are really worth
- Equal Value Is Not Equal Money in a Divorce Settlement
- Keeping the Home-Sale Exclusion After You Move Out
- The Six-Year Rule Is Not in Section 1041
Filing status, credits and timing
- Modifying a Pre-2019 Decree Does Not End the Alimony Deduction
- December 31 Decides Your Filing Status
- Form 8332 Moves the Child Tax Credit and Nothing Else
Who bears the cost of the order itself
Related guides
Equity Compensation · Trusts · Roth Conversions · Settling an Estate · Inherited IRA Rules · Business Owner Retirement and Exit · Social Security Timing · Retirement Withdrawals · When a Spouse Dies · Pension and Annuity Decisions · Charitable Giving and Tax · Home Sale Taxes · Life Insurance Decisions · IRMAA · Long-Term Care Planning · Research · All guides
The numbers behind this. Gray divorce statistics sets out how far the rate has moved for people over 50, the 29-year median marriage it ends, and why a remarriage ending after a median of 18 years changes the planning.
11 more states, each with a rule that changes the duration or eligibility answer, read from the statute in September 2026. These are additional to the 25-state alimony-factor guide above; each has its own deep-dive page, not just a factor-list restatement.
3 more states, each with a rule that changes the duration or eligibility answer, read from the statute or controlling case law in September 2026. These are additional to the 36-state alimony-factor guide above; each has its own deep-dive page, not just a factor-list restatement.