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If you are facing a divorce, you may feel overwhelmed with so many things seeming like they are up in the air. You may feel inundated by what can feel like a never-ending to-do list. This is all on top of the fact that you are going through what is often a very difficult emotional time for people and their families. With so much going on, it can be all too easy to forget about everyday things like, who will pay the household bills while your divorce is pending? While you may be at a loss as to this answer, it is an important one to find out. Divorces can take a substantial amount of time to resolve and the last thing you will need is for household bills to continue piling up unpaid.
Paying the Bills During a Florida Divorce
Divorce is really an untangling of a life that you have come to interweave with someone else. The untangling process can be complex and will require you to reevaluate many things, bill paying included. If you have been responsible for paying all or some household bills, will that continue throughout the divorce process? Should it change? These are the questions that will need to be answered.
You need to know that, while you and your spouse could and should try to reach an agreement on who will handle payment of household expenses and bills during the divorce, only a court can set this agreement to be legally binding. While you and your spouse are seeking a legal split through a divorce, you are still both jointly responsible for upholding your financial commitments. This will not change without a court order or a legally binding agreement. While an informal agreement between the two of you is a starting point, it will not be enforceable if one of you fails to uphold their end of the agreement. Get a court order determining who should be paying what household expenses during divorce proceedings.
While the court should make the agreement legally binding, reaching a collaborative solution to who will handle household expenses remains the ideal. If you can, work with your spouse on reaching a mutually agreeable solution to this. It can be good for both of you if you can work out an amicable solution to this on your own or perhaps with the assistance of your divorce attorney.
Speaking of financial issues with a pending divorce, did you know that you may be entitled to what is referred to as “pendente lite,” or “temporary alimony?” Florida law provides that a spouse at a financial disadvantage may be entitled to temporary alimony to provide them with financial divorce while divorce proceedings are pending. This type of spousal support is awarded on an individual case basis when the circumstances warrant it. Should it be awarded, the support payments will automatically end when the divorce has been finalized, although a different type of spousal support may then begin.
Florida Family Law Attorneys
If you are in the midst of divorce proceedings, the dedicated attorneys at Orlando Family Team are here to help. Contact us today.
