Have you ever wondered if your lawsuit settlement is actually tax-free? You may be surprised to find out that these settlements are not considered income because the government does not have to pay them. What they do pay is their administrative costs. This means that the government does not have to pay for your loss or damage unless it was court awarded. So, if you win your lawsuit and the court awards you a settlement payment, you may never see a cent of the money unless the government pays you first. This is what makes these types of cases different from personal injury claims and other kinds of lawsuits.

These types of cases are not the type that end up going to trial and paying all of the damages.

Therefore, the settlement amount is not taxable. While it is true that taxes on this money may become an issue if you sell it in the future, the IRS has shown that they are not going to start taxing these types of awards until they are actually collected.

If you are worried about being able to collect on your settlement, there is no reason to worry.

Many plaintiffs simply keep their award and file any tax-related paperwork so that they are not considered taxable. Keep in mind that if you are going to do this, you should inform your lawyer of your settlement so that he/she can help you with planning for the future. It is a good idea to get a professional opinion if you are not sure whether you are eligible to claim your tax-free status.

If you win your case, you may be able to claim a small tax refund.

Of course, you will have to pay any applicable taxes at that time. But, if you can prove that the settlement was actually won for a legitimate reason, you may be able to get money back even after the taxes are due.

You cannot expect to get back all of the money you have won through a settlement.

The government will most likely ask you to reimburse any costs associated with having to pay taxes on the amount you received. However, you may be able to get back a portion of the total awarded. In fact, the IRS may allow you to keep part of your award under these circumstances.

You are probably curious about the reasons that a settlement claim is tax free.

These include: the settlement amount is being given to the client in the first place as a result of a legitimate claim; you are not receiving any compensation from the company who made the product in question; the product was discontinued years ago; or, there was a defect in the product that could not have been discovered prior to the sale. It is also important to note that if the product was sold to a legitimate buyer, it is not taxable. Therefore, if you are interested in pursuing a tax settlement claim, it may be worthwhile to discuss these points with a trained tax attorney.