My Ex Is In Jail and Now The IRS Is After My House

May 6, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Sarah, a 41-year-old regional asset manager earning $132,000 annually, called into The Ramsey Show with an IRS notice for $7,900 in unpaid taxes from 2018. She had filed jointly with her ex-husband that year, assuming the debt was settled in their 2020 divorce settlement, where he agreed to pay it. Now incarcerated for embezzlement and father to their four children, he stopped payments, prompting the IRS to pursue her despite no prior lien.

Understanding Innocent Spouse Relief

Dave Ramsey urged Sarah to first contact a Ramsey Trusted tax professional at RamseySolutions.com before paying anything. He explained the IRS's "innocent spouse" provision under the tax code, which relieves a spouse from joint liability if they had no knowledge or involvement in the underreported income or unpaid taxes.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of The Ramsey Show Highlights

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (00:06) **IRS Tax Debt Notice** - Caller Sarah receives notice for $7,900 unpaid 2018 taxes from joint filing with ex-husband
2 (01:36) **Ex-Husband's Responsibility** - Divorce settlement required him to pay taxes, but he's incarcerated for embezzlement
3 (01:53) **Innocent Spouse Relief Advice** - Contact Ramsey Trusted tax pros at RamseySolutions.com before paying
4 (02:27) **Innocent Spouse Example** - Host uses his own marriage as analogy: wife signs taxes without business knowledge
5 (03:46) **Qualification Factors** - Settlement terms, lack of awareness, and time elapsed support her case
6 (04:22) **Backup: Prioritize IRS Debt** - If ineligible, pay off $7,900 immediately at top of debt snowball
7 (04:56) **Avoid IRS Payment Plan** - Only as absolute last resort; clear debt fast instead