Q & A: Certs/50059s

Question:  I have an applicant I currently am processing for residency.  He has a federal pension that has a deduction for a court ordered alimony, and I understand we do not count this portion of his benefit.  He also has a child support ordered garnishment from the same pension…do we exclude this income as well?  ~ Jim in NJ

Answer: You’re right – when someone has a government (federal, state or local) or military pension, if there is court-ordered alimony paid to an ex-spouse, deducted from the pension check before the tenant receives it, then the tenant’s income is the amount after the deduction.  But that applies only to alimony, not to any other type of deduction.  So if child care is deducted, the tenant’s income counts as the amount before that deduction.