How Lawsuit Structured Settlements Work And Are Taxed

Unless you’ve been involved in a lawsuit, you may not know about structured settlements. You may have heard of them on late night TV. “It’s your money,” some TV ads will exclaim. “Cash in your structured settlement and use your money now!” These TV ads are from factoring companies that buy up lawsuit structured settlements, but how do you get one in the first place?

If you are a successful plaintiff in a lawsuit, your contact with structure settlements may be personal. You may have received one, be evaluating one now, or have considered one but opted for cash. Even if you already have a structure, you may not know how they operate and why they’re set up in the way they are. Structured settlements are mostly about taxes. If you are injured in a car accident and receive a $300,000 settlement from the other driver or insurer, it’s tax free, which is one of the rules how settlements are taxed.