Why The Beginning Of The Year Is The Best Time For Parents To Divorce

12 January 2015 by Jonathan Phillips

While emotional considerations influence when people get a divorce, there are also practical considerations that should push people towards getting a divorce at the beginning of the year. Here's more information on why January and February are good times to get divorced:

You can leave the holiday stress behind.

Kids usually love the excitement of the holidays, whereas their parents can often be overwhelmed by the pressure of making holidays perfect. This may be especially the case in which parents are ready for a divorce but don't want to ruin the winter holidays for their kids. That's exactly why getting a divorce during the beginning of the year is a good idea, because you don't want to add stress to an already stressful time. You'll also have plenty of time to adjust to your new family dynamics before the next Thanksgiving or Christmas rolls around.

Your kids' lives will be more stable.

When parents go through a divorce, school can become the one thing in a child's life that truly feels normal. The first few months of the new year are extremely routinized for kids in school, as the newness of the school year has worn off and no one is yet thinking about making the transition to summer. That means that while you and your former spouse are figuring out how to make changes to your family's lives, your kids can leave some of their worries at home as they go about their regular school days surrounded by friends and plenty of activities.

Your taxes could be simpler.

Ending a tax year as a married couple and then severing ties at the beginning of the year could make your finances easier to organize. Firstly, any year-end bonuses will be considered as joint income, which could be taxed at a lower rate than a single person filing by him or herself.

Secondly, you have the whole year to separate your accounts and settle into your new individual budgets before filing your taxes. People who get divorced at the end of a calendar year, in contrast, may find themselves scrambling to get their paperwork together before tax time.

You'll have enough money to actually get a divorce.

The average divorce costs around $4,000, which includes attorney fees, court fees, fees for any experts that you bring in to support your case, and real estate costs incurred by selling a home and/or moving.

This fee could be prohibitive for some people at the end of a year, especially considering that people typically spend $781 on Christmas. In January, you might have more room in your monthly budget since most people with kids don't have large expenses like vacations and summer camps at this time of year.

In reality, there's no perfect way to get a divorce, but these reasons make a good case for why you should consider getting divorced at the beginning of the year. Talk to a lawyer, like those at David Borts Law Office for more information on timing your family law needs. 

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