Are Reinvested Dividends Considered Income in an Ohio Divorce?

In most Ohio divorce cases, reinvested dividends are not considered income.

Why?

Ohio courts separate:

• Property division (what assets are divided), and

• Income (what is used to calculate child or spousal support).

If dividends are automatically reinvested and no cash is paid out, they are treated as growth of the investment account, not income. They may increase the value of the account for property division, but they usually do not count as income for support.

When Could Reinvested Dividends Count as Income?

A court may treat reinvested dividends as income if:

• The spouse could easily take them in cash, and

• The reinvestment was done to reduce support, especially if the change happened during the divorce.

Courts look at history and intent. Long-standing reinvestment is usually not a problem.

Bottom Line

• Reinvested dividends → usually not income

• Cash dividends or stock sales → usually income

• Courts focus on actual cash available, not paper growth

If you have investment accounts and are going through a divorce in Columbus, Ohio, it’s important to understand how they may affect both property division and support. An experienced divorce attorney can help protect you from income being improperly overstated.