Benefits of Maintaining Accurate Records When Divorcing

But wait! 

If you are in the midst of a divorce, or even contemplating divorce, getting rid of the previous calendar is a huge mistake. After all it is basically a documented story of your and your family’s daily life.

In a divorce proceeding, especially if there may be custody issues, you will be asked to reproduce your children’s past events, such as health history, sports events, other activities they are involved in, as well as other important events that have occurred. During the stress of a divorce, these are things you might not readily recall but these details can make or break your divorce case.

The calendar can also act as a tool to help refresh your memory. Has your child been seeing a dentist, doctor, or therapist? How often were the visits and what were the costs? Does your child attend birthday parties, bar mitzvas or other events where they bring gifts? Does your child play sports and at a higher level perhaps incur travel expenses for games or tournaments? These days, even at the junior high level, school systems are charging fees for participation on sport teams. These are all expenses that can really add up and need to be taken into consideration.

When calculating child support, one of the issues is how much time each parent spends with the child. If there is a substantial change from the anticipated parenting schedule this can impact the decrease or increase of child support. Rather than by just saying I did this or that, and they did nothing to help and support, pull out your calendar for documentation.

When calculating support in a collaborative divorce case, your lifestyle during the marriage is one of the statutory considerations. Again, by referring to your calendar you will be able to document with dates, trips, high end restaurants, travel, vacations, sight-seeing events, etc.

Much more effective to be able to provide specific dates. Facts that support your claims when there are unusual deviations from what is a typical equitable distribution scenario, or a typical support situation can make such a difference.

So, the bottom line, is hang on to that calendar. Don’t part with what may be a critical piece of evidence in your divorce proceeding!

If you are considering a collaborative divorce in Burlington, our team of family lawyers and support staff is here to help you. We offer a free 30-minute initial consultation, so you can learn more about your options at no cost to you. Call 905-315-6837 today to get started.