Former Spouse Threatening To Quit Their Job? How To Protect Your Rights To Fort Lauderdale Alimony And Child Support Payments

After a troubled marriage, a Fort Lauderdale divorce can provide freedom and the opportunity to make a fresh start. However, it can also create financial insecurity if you have children or otherwise relied on your spouse for income.

As part of Broward County divorce proceedings, a judge may order alimony and child support, but what happens if your former partner quits their job? Our experienced Fort Lauderdale divorce lawyer explains how Florida courts evaluate income and ways to protect what you are owed.

How Florida Courts Evaluate Income Changes

Being awarded child support and alimony can help you adjust financially to a Fort Lauderdale divorce, but it is not uncommon for disgruntled former spouses to balk at paying. Threatening to quit their job is one of the most common tactics.

Fortunately, it rarely works. Under the Florida Statutes, judges consider a variety of factors to determine if an income change was reasonable and made in good faith, not to dodge financial obligations. Factors they consider:

• Work history and prior earnings, including your spouse’s most recent salary levels and career trajectory.
• The timing and reason for leaving the job, such as whether it was an involuntary layoff or a voluntary resignation during or after your divorce.
• Efforts to find new employment, and whether they are actively applying for work or making little to no effort.
• Education, skills, and earning potential, which reflect what your spouse is realistically capable of earning.

If a Broward County Family Court judge determines that your spouse quit or reduced their income on purpose, they can base calculations on their previous earnings instead of what they claim to make now.

How To Protect Your Rights To Alimony and Child Support Payments in Fort Lauderdale

If you believe your former spouse is deliberately lowering their income to reduce what they owe you, take these steps to protect yourself:

• Gather employment records and pay history to establish what your spouse previously earned.
• Document the circumstances surrounding the job change and whether it suspiciously coincides with your divorce.
• Track job search efforts, or the clear lack of them, to show your spouse is not making a genuine effort to find work.
• Request formal financial disclosures to get a full picture of your spouse’s true financial situation.

Keep in mind that if you have a child support or alimony order, your spouse is required to pay, even if they quit their job.

To Get What You Are Owed, Contact Our Experienced Fort Lauderdale Divorce Lawyer

A sudden drop in your spouse’s reported income does not erase your right to alimony and child support. Florida judges have real tools to stop people from gaming the system at your expense.

At Vanessa L. Prieto Law Offices, we help Broward County clients get the payments they are owed. If you are concerned that your spouse is trying to avoid their financial responsibilities, call or contact our office online. Request a consultation today with an experienced Fort Lauderdale divorce lawyer.

Source:

flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2023/61.08