The first month of the calendar year is a busy one for divorce lawyers. It’s a month when some people decide to end an unhealthy marriage. But, this has some people wondering why so many individuals wait until January to file for the divorce.
For parents, the issue is usually their children’s experiences
There are many reasons why couples might choose to wait until the holiday season is over. For parents, one of the primary reasons to wait is that they want to give their kids one last holiday as a family.
With the kids in mind, parents may agree to move through the holiday season as a couple and then file for divorce once it’s over so that their children won’t associate the holiday season with the breakup.
Are there any other reasons to wait until January?
It’s also possible that people will end a marriage in January for tax reasons. This gives them the opportunity to finish out the prior tax year with the same filing status and then begin the new tax year apart. While this doesn’t always make things easy, it may help in some cases.
Another reason that people file in January is that they’re following through with New Year resolutions to live a better, healthier life. This is typically a time of self-reflection, so bidding goodbye to a toxic marriage is often seen as a means of self-improvement.
Others use January as the time to discuss the split with an attorney. Then, they may take time to gather what they need before they file. Typically, those individuals will file around March, which is another busy time for divorce attorneys.
If you know that your marriage is ending, now is the time to discuss your case with an attorney so you can find out what you need to do to make it as easy as possible.
