“New year, new you” is the mantra for many folks when January comes around again. It’s no coincidence that this month is known in legal circles as “divorce month.” Couples who have mentally and emotionally already checked out of their marriages often find the symbolic start of a new year to be the best time to change their marital status by filing for divorce.
Whether or not a divorce was on your 2026 BINGO card, below is some important information to help you make a clean exit from your marriage.
Time for a critical talk
Are you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse on the same page about filing for divorce? Maybe it’s been an ongoing topic for the past few months, and you mutually decided to remove your marriage from life support once the winter holidays were over.
But for some spouses, the news may hit with an unwelcome shock. Those couples will need to have some uncomfortable conversations in the coming days to determine their path going forward.
Be strategic now
If you are the one filing, use this time to access and copy tax returns and financial statements. This will be necessary for the discovery part of the divorce when determining amounts of child and/or spousal support.
If you will be the one leaving the family home, remember that you may not have easy access to these documents once your spouse gets served with the divorce petition. Be proactive now and get what you need while you still can.
What about filing taxes?
Divorcing couples will need to decide whether it is beneficial to file their 2025 taxes jointly or separately in the coming months. It’s usually helpful to loop in your financial adviser(s) to learn which option fits your circumstances better.
Use a strategic approach
Divorce, like marriage, is a major life event that should be approached strategically after careful consideration. Assembling a knowledgeable legal team now can help you get all your ducks in line when filing for divorce.
