Getting the right child support during and after divorce can be a frustrating and complicated process.
Knowing you’re entitled to financial support for your child is one thing. Making sure you get the money can be quite another.
For many women going through a divorce or breakup, sorting out child support can be one of the most difficult issues. If your divorce is amicable and/or you can agree arrangements between you it’s a different matter, but if you have to get the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (or CMEC) involved you may face a complex and bewildering process. Women frequently complain that their ex is able to play the system, while men may feel they’re being asked to contribute an unrealistic or unaffordable amount.
Separating your finances when you break up can be hard, but it’s easier if you know where you can take control.
When you separate you’ll have to unravel financial arrangements that you may have shared for some considerable time. It’s not always straightforward.
When it comes to joint money, the starting point is that while your name is still on an account you’re liable for any debts on it. If you’ve moved out of the family home you may also have your name on bills that you think you should no longer pay. If you’re on reasonable terms this should be relatively straightforward (although be prepared for a lot of form-filling). If you and your ex aren’t speaking you’ll have to try and find the right balance between protecting your own financial position and not making an acrimonious situation worse.
During divorce, it's easy to underestimate the importance of the pension when working out how assets should be split. But that could be a costly mistake.
Most of us find it difficult to get enthusiastic about pensions at the best of times, never mind if you’re going through a divorce. But the fact is that most people don’t save enough to retire on and women tend to retire on significantly less than men. Not all women lose out at retirement, but those who get divorced – especially if it’s later in life – may do. The law changed 10 years ago to make it easier for the pension to be split at divorce, so it’s worth understanding the different options.
