Tax refund for disputing couple

[cred65]

What is the possibility of having refund issued to third party for distrubtion to separated couple? Could I as preparer be that third party? Or another CPA who is also involved?

[JohnH]

Do you really want to voluntarily ump into the middle of a domestic dispute?

Police officers (who carry handcuffs, guns & mace as a standard item of personal protection) will tell you that this is one of the most dangerous types of situations they face on a daily basis.

[Lion EA]

If you're going to suggest a recipient, suggest a lawyer. They get paid well to be in the fight. Don't do it yourself.

[Don in Upstate NY]

What is the possibility of having refund issued to third party for distribution to separated couple?

How about using Form 8888 to have the refund split between two different accounts?

[kcjenkins]

Using the option to have the refund deposited into two different accounts is the easy way to do this. The second option is to have the refund go to the address of one of the divorce attorneys, who would than have the legal responsibility to properly distribute the refund between them. But the first option is cheaper and simpler.

[jainen]

>>have the refund deposited into two different accounts<<

Assuming, of course, that the bank will accept a joint check deposited into a separate account. Which is a mighty big assumption.

[kcjenkins]

If you use the IRS option, the IRS does the split, and the bank should accept the direct deposit as long as either of the two is on the account. It is done all the time. If in doubt, ask your bank first, but most of them handle this routinely.