Foreign Child Support

[addision]

I have been paying child support for a child in another country. I have always paid by money transfer (I have kept receipts and proof), but I have never paid from my checking account, mainly because I don't use my checking accounts because I don't want existing creditors to attach the account with money in it.

This is NOT "court ordered" support, and I have always done this willingly. Where do I show this on forms 22 and on form "J". Do I just provide copies of the receipts showing that I have been paying this? I do not want to go to court to get a mandatory court order just to file it with the bankruptcy court. I know there are organizations that help collect child support for people oversees, but I don't want to be in the position of having a court order levied against me and I have done a good job of keeping this support out of the courts for the past three years.

All I can find are references to "court ordered" support being deductible against discretionary income. This isn't court ordered.

[justbroke]

You truly need to seek advice from an attorney practicing in your area. The reason why the forms read "court ordered" is because you are only able to deduct certain expenses only if you are legally obligated to pay them. An attorney may have you put this as a "special case" and you'll have to both explain and document this special case.

(Someone asked this same question nearly 6 years ago on this site and it went unanswered. It's just such a nuanced expense that you need someone who understands how to report "non-court ordered child support" payments on the Means Test.)