Whether you have fallen behind on your child support obligations or your child's other parent refuses to pay what they owe, it is important to understand how to back child support can affect one's tax refund. When a parent fails to pay the child support that they owe,...
Year: 2021
What is financial infidelity?
When most people think about infidelity in divorce, it often ties to the state of a couple's interpersonal relationship and involves the possibility of cheating on one's spouse with another person. However, infidelity can come in many forms, including financial....
When should you avoid mediation?
Divorcing couples need not take their marital split to court. Working with a mediator could prove a more effective option, but not for every situation. Family Education explores scenarios in which mediation may do more harm than good. Those going through a divorce...
Is your ex-partner entitled to your property?
Though Washington is one of many states that no longer recognizes common-law marriages, it does recognize “marriage-like” relationships. State law refers to these relationships as “Committed Intimate Relationships.” In Washington, if the courts consider your...
3 simple ways to prepare children for holidays with a co-parent
With the holidays quickly approaching, you may be looking forward to building memories with your kids. If you share custody of your children with a co-parent, however, you may have to shuffle the young ones in your family between two households. While your parenting...
What is a pass-through payment?
Child support has a lot of related terminology and processes that can be confusing if you are new to the overall system. One such thing you may hear about is pass-through payments. According to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services,...
How do you make the most of mediation?
You and your current partner want to use mediation for your divorce. Working together may save you time and money, but how do you make the most of the option? American Bar Association offers insights into gaining the upper hand in mediation. Learn how to set yourself...
Dividing property when unmarried couples end a relationship
Washington state judges recognize that when a committed intimate relationship leads to cohabitation, the couples often acquire valuable assets together. As noted by the Seattle Times, unmarried couples contributed 16% toward first-time home purchases in 2017 based on...
Can an alienating parent lose custody?
When going through a divorce, it is not uncommon for tensions between both parties to rise. With children involved, the tensions often only increase, as parents feel like they have too much on the line to lose. Unfortunately, this can lead to parents making foolish...
Collaboration is gaining ground as the divorce option of choice
If you and your spouse have decided to end your marriage, you may dread stressful litigation in which you have little control over the outcome. Instead, you could choose collaborative divorce, a private and transparent option that has become a process many couples...