Are Injury Settlements Taxable

January 9, 2019

Are Injury Settlements Taxable

Settlements are reached before the case goes to jury trial in almost all cases.  If the agreement is reached, your attorney will inform defending attorney that you have agreed to the settlement either by phone, letter or some combined methods.

Personal Injury settlements are not taxed by the federal government, or by the state if the proceeds are for personal injury claims. As a result of personal injury, any damage is excluded from federal tax law. The cases where only receive compensation for personal injury, the proceeds are not taxed.

Some of the following examples of damages:

Lost wages

Physical Pain

Medical Bills

Emotional Suffering

Attorney fees

Some of the above are direct examples of the injury that you sustained, and any compensation you receive will not be eligible for taxation.

For example, if you find yourself in a car accident and you sustain injuries that require medical treatment, your bills, emotional suffering, inability to work, wages lost and attorney fees will be compensated for as a result of your physical injury without any tax.

Exceptions

Most of the personal injury is non-taxable, but there are some specific cases where your settlement would be taxed- when a breach of contract is involved. If you breach the agreement, you would be responsible for paying taxes on the damages relating to the breach of contract so long as the offense is the basis of the lawsuit.

Punitive damages are taxed. By definition, compensatory damages are to equal the amount of pain and suffering you sustained.Punitive damages are those awarded to plaintiffs when compensatory damages are ruled an inadequate remedy for the defendant’s actions.

In most situations, compensatory damages are calculated based off of actual costs (medical bills, lost wages, etc.)Punitive damages are meant to turn aside the defendant from engaging in conduct similar to that on which the lawsuit is based. A reasonable attorney will request the verdicts to be separated into punitive (taxable) and compensatory (non-taxable), making it easier to distinguish what settlements you owe taxes on.

Emotional Injuries

Emotional damages are eligible for taxation cause personal physical injuries are non-taxable. Because of this, it’s important to disclose any physical injuries that you endured during an accident. Emotional wounds are not tax exempt.

Contact the Professionals

Settlements and going to court can take a lot of time and energy. In the current world of disinformation, it’s always imperative to have professionals by your side. You need a thorough investigation of any case before you can make a settlement.

Money that is obtained as compensation in settlement (or verdict) of a personal injury claim is not taxable as income under the federal code.

Each state’s tax laws may be different, although many States follow the federal guideline on this point.

Schenk Podolsky Attorneys at law office can help you with Injury claims and vast areas of practice.

Our client comes first. You can try our free consultation service https://myarizonainjurylawyers.com/about-us#case-consultation

We have a different approach to every case. Remember, health comes first!

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