Life isn’t something you can put on hold, even in the middle of a divorce. When a great job opportunity comes along, it isn’t something you can simply ignore. Unfortunately, that decision is one that could affect how your divorce proceedings play out. Here’s what you need to know.
Child Support
Not all career changes are ideal. In some circumstances, a job may pop up out of necessity. That could mean paying the bills, taking care of your kids, or even taking on a second income to support yourself. In many cases, it also means accepting less pay because you have no other choice.
When this is the case, it can severely impact your divorce proceedings. Most courts will take your previous job’s pay into consideration when calculating child support payments. That could leave you paying support based on a $60,000 salary despite the fact that you’re now making only $40,000, for example.
Availability for Children
This aspect of your divorce can be either helpful or harmful. If a new job position would allot you more free time to spend with your children, courts will take that into consideration during custody agreements. Relying on skilled legal aid, like these Tustin divorce attorneys, you stand a better chance of spending more quality time with your kids.
If the job you take requires longer hours than your previous career did, however, you’ll find that the opposite often takes place. It’s incredibly difficult to fight for more custody time when you have little to spare in-between working hours.
Income and Infidelity
In some states, courts may decide that your spouse is entitled to a larger portion of shared material assets when infidelity was involved. This is commonly the case when the cheating partner spent a substantial amount of money on the person they cheated with.
If a husband bought his girlfriend a new car, for instance, then the husband can be legally punished for spending family or material money in that manner. When it comes to changing careers, this could either be a portion of your increased income or a hefty financial burden with decreased income.
The In-Between
Many people decide to change careers after suffering an injury at work, but the recovery and compensation process takes time. In many cases, employees find themselves hiring legal help such as these Los Angeles wage and hour disputes attorneys just to get the money they’re entitled to.
This in-between period and financial change also impacts divorce proceedings. If your worker’s compensation settlement happened prior to the separation, then your spouse is entitled to that marital property as well. Even though they weren’t injured or a part of the claim, it doesn’t matter in the eyes of the law.
The Bottom Line
Changing careers during divorce proceedings isn’t something most attorneys advise. If you absolutely have to take on a new job or career out of financial necessity, then it’s something you have to do. Otherwise, make the smart move and wait until the divorce is completely over before making the switch.