Structured Settlements 4Real®Blog 2026
Structured settlements expert John Darer reviews the latest structured settlements and settlement planning information and news, and provides expert opinion and highly regarded commentary. that is spicy, Informative, irreverent and effective for over 20 years.
recent posts
- Structured Settlement Annuity Guarantees Help Financial Peace of Mind
- How Sheron Jones Was Exploited — And Why D.C.’s Failure to Mandate IPA in SSPA Enabled It
- Attorney Fee Structured Settlement Factoring
- One Year Later: The Structured Settlement–to–Bitcoin Anniversary Nobody Is Celebrating
- SettlementDecisions Episode 4: Purports to be a Directory-Delivers Spam Instead
about
Category: Structured Settlement Tax Issues
-
Private Letter Rulings (PLRs) from the IRS offer important guidance on the tax treatment of structured settlements and related issues. They clarify the exclusion of periodic payments, assignment company liabilities, and compliance with IRC provisions. While tailored to individual taxpayers, PLRs collectively inform IRS interpretation and reinforce the reliability of structured settlement arrangements.
-
FAST (Fast Annuity Settlement Transfers) of Boca Raton is the Latest Mallardy in Structured Settlement Canard of the Day “No, your structured settlements don’t get taxed by the government!” they say. So why is what these FAST folks are saying simply quackers?
-
The IRS has consistently held that compensatory damages, including lost wages, received on account of a personal physical injury are excludable from gross income with the exception of punitive damages. Rev. Rul. 85-97 and also see Commissioner v. Schleier, 515 U.S. 323, 329-30 (1995). says IRS.
-
The structured settlement factoring industry and its surrogates generate alot of content about areas of structured settlements that are not a part of their business. Unsurprisingly content generated by the structured settlement factoring industry may be inaccurate and cannot be relied upon by consumers.
-
While some of the incorrect statements by some settlement planners may seem plausible, it is the nature of damages that the structured settlement payments represent that is a critical factor, not the structured settlement annuity contract itself. John Darer revews the details here,
-
Courts do not establish structured settlements, and such arrangements do not require court approval to avoid taxes. Tax exemptions under the IRC apply to various damages related to personal injuries, including workmen’s compensation and wrongful incarceration. Approval is necessary in cases involving minors, incompetents, or wrongful death settlements.
-
If Harvey Weinstein, accused by numerous women of sexual harassment (and in a few cases, assault, ends up negotiating settlements with his accusers, many settlements will be taxable. After paying legal fees and federal and state income taxes, it could leave a third or less to the victim depending on their attorney’s contingency fee agreement.
-
Can retired New York State lawyers who have structured attorney fees take an exclusion, on that income, of up to $20,000 intended for retirees on their structured attorney fee income?
-
The Estate of the Minor is the default beneficiary designation for structured settlements payable to minors. Generally minors cannot make changes of beneficiary until the age of majority. This could be a problem where the child’s parent already has (or parents have) a sizable estate