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General marriage questions

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What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My boyfriend and I may decide to get married next year, and we have some questions concerning insurance and child support. I have one child, and he has two. He has 100% legal and physical custody of his son, therefore pays no child support. He has a long-distance visitation agreement with his daughter who lives in Oklahoma, and he pays child support to her mother.

We are both students. I will graduate next year and make about $75,000 with benefits. He will be making about $17,000 with no benefits. When he graduates in about three years our incomes will be similar.

If we are married will I be able to put his son on my insurance? I'm sure it depends on the company, but generally speaking (we work for a large well-known corporation).

Will his child support for his daughter increase because of my income if we are married?

Could I claim my husband and step-son on my taxes?

Thanks!
 


TheGeekess

Keeper of the Kraken
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My boyfriend and I may decide to get married next year, and we have some questions concerning insurance and child support. I have one child, and he has two. He has 100% legal and physical custody of his son, therefore pays no child support. He has a long-distance visitation agreement with his daughter who lives in Oklahoma, and he pays child support to her mother.

We are both students. I will graduate next year and make about $75,000 with benefits. He will be making about $17,000 with no benefits. When he graduates in about three years our incomes will be similar.

If we are married will I be able to put his son on my insurance? I'm sure it depends on the company, but generally speaking (we work for a large well-known corporation).

Will his child support for his daughter increase because of my income if we are married?

Could I claim my husband and step-son on my taxes?

Thanks!
  • More than likely.
  • No.
  • Yes.
 

TinkerBelleLuvr

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My boyfriend and I may decide to get married next year, and we have some questions concerning insurance and child support. I have one child, and he has two. He has 100% legal and physical custody of his son, therefore pays no child support. He has a long-distance visitation agreement with his daughter who lives in Oklahoma, and he pays child support to her mother.

We are both students. I will graduate next year and make about $75,000 with benefits. He will be making about $17,000 with no benefits. When he graduates in about three years our incomes will be similar.

If we are married will I be able to put his son on my insurance? I'm sure it depends on the company, but generally speaking (we work for a large well-known corporation).

Will his child support for his daughter increase because of my income if we are married?

Could I claim my husband and step-son on my taxes?

Thanks!
Your BF's child support is based on HIS income. Your income would normally not come into place. As for claiming the children that live in our home, that would be based on the company's policy. It seems like the big corporations will allow you to claim the children that reside within the home.

As for taxes, once you are married, you have a choice of married-filing-jointly or married-filing-separately. Your husband would be equal and not a dependent. As for the children, that depends on your court orders.
 

Ohiogal

Queen Bee
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My boyfriend and I may decide to get married next year, and we have some questions concerning insurance and child support. I have one child, and he has two. He has 100% legal and physical custody of his son, therefore pays no child support. He has a long-distance visitation agreement with his daughter who lives in Oklahoma, and he pays child support to her mother.

We are both students. I will graduate next year and make about $75,000 with benefits. He will be making about $17,000 with no benefits. When he graduates in about three years our incomes will be similar.

If we are married will I be able to put his son on my insurance? I'm sure it depends on the company, but generally speaking (we work for a large well-known corporation).

Will his child support for his daughter increase because of my income if we are married?

Could I claim my husband and step-son on my taxes?

Thanks!
Most likely you will be able to put his son on your insurance. He will be imputed however and it may be more than $17k because being a student is a choice. Do not expect his child support to his daughter's mother to decrease.
 

TinkerBelleLuvr

Senior Member
I believe her question is whether HER income would be used to calculate child support. The general answer is no. If there is a current order, just getting married is NOT a change of circumstances in regards to child support.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My boyfriend and I may decide to get married next year, and we have some questions concerning insurance and child support. I have one child, and he has two. He has 100% legal and physical custody of his son, therefore pays no child support. He has a long-distance visitation agreement with his daughter who lives in Oklahoma, and he pays child support to her mother.

We are both students. I will graduate next year and make about $75,000 with benefits. He will be making about $17,000 with no benefits. When he graduates in about three years our incomes will be similar.

If we are married will I be able to put his son on my insurance? I'm sure it depends on the company, but generally speaking (we work for a large well-known corporation).
Many companies would allow that.

Will his child support for his daughter increase because of my income if we are married?
Your income will not factor into his child support calculation.

Could I claim my husband and step-son on my taxes?

Thanks!
The answer to that question is NO...not yes. However what you CAN do is file a joint return with your husband and jointly claim his child.
 

CourtClerk

Senior Member
If we are married will I be able to put his son on my insurance? I'm sure it depends on the company, but generally speaking (we work for a large well-known corporation).
Generally, yes.
Will his child support for his daughter increase because of my income if we are married?
No
Could I claim my husband and step-son on my taxes?
Once he becomes your husband and that becomes your step-son, they would be JOINT taxes and you'd (presumably) be filing taxes TOGETHER. Your step-son would then become a dependent of both of you
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
Thank you everyone. I imagine a trip to the accountant would be the best choice for the first year's tax filing.
Just FYI, your marital status for tax purposes is whatever your marital status is on 12/31. So, if you get married on 12/31/2013, you are married for tax purposes for 2013.
 

Ohiogal

Queen Bee
Just FYI, your marital status for tax purposes is whatever your marital status is on 12/31. So, if you get married on 12/31/2013, you are married for tax purposes for 2013.
However if the court order states mom gets to claim the son then mom claims the son and OP does not.
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
I am addressing the health insurance question only.

Although there is at least a reasonable chance that you will be able to include his son on your insurance, it will depend ENTIRELY on what your employer's insurance policy has determined to be an eligible dependent. If a stepchild is listed as being an eligible dependent you will; if a stepchild is not listed as being an eligible dependent you won't. It will be a black and white, yes or no issue; it won't be a "Well, it doesn't say you can't, so maybe you can" situation. While with many employment laws the general rule of thumb is, "if it doesn't say you can't, you can", this is one of the exceptions where if it doesn't say you can, you can't. There will be no exceptions, no loopholes, and no law you can invoke to force them.

Now, all that being said, I've been administering employer benefits for nearly 35 years, and in my experience, step children are *almost* always considered eligible dependents. But the operative word is, almost.

Do not be surprised if you are required to provide a copy of your marriage certificate and your step son's birth certificate to prove the relationship.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
However if the court order states mom gets to claim the son then mom claims the son and OP does not.
Well, that is true, but that wasn't the question. Also, since OP addressed the fact that her fiancé's daughter had two active parents, yet was silent on the issue of the son (dad has full legal and physical custody) it didn't appear to be an issue.
 

Ohiogal

Queen Bee
Well, that is true, but that wasn't the question. Also, since OP addressed the fact that her fiancé's daughter had two active parents, yet was silent on the issue of the son (dad has full legal and physical custody) it didn't appear to be an issue.
I know you know that but I didn't know if OP knew that and wanted to make sure that OP doesn't believe that she has carte blanche when it comes to claiming stepson. The court order needs followed by dad which may prohibit or interfere with OP filing. Regardless of how active mom is.
 
However if the court order states mom gets to claim the son then mom claims the son and OP does not.
His mom has no custody of their son, and cannot claim him. My BF has 100% legal and physical custody. As far as the taxes go, we will probably do whatever benefits us most as a family.
 

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