Eight Ways Your Spouse Can Hide Their Income Before Divorce in Arizona

Mon 23rd Sep, 2019 Arizona Divorce Laws

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We have been asked about the different ways your spouse could hide their income before divorce in Arizona, so we wanted to share some information on the subject.

If you and your spouse intend to get a divorce, you need a plan for the talks about alimony and child support.

People are known to conceal their income in the hopes of having to pay less.

If you believe that your spouse makes more money than they let on, you should talk to your lawyer and work on the different ways to uncover the hidden income.

What follows are Eight ways spouses often hide their income in anticipation of divorce proceedings.

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Your Spouse Can Defer income

When people expect to divorce their spouse, they sometimes ask their employer to put off paying them their commission or other parts of their compensation.

If your spouse usually receives a certain amount as income, and it seems to have dropped ever since you began discussing divorce, you should suspect that they are deferring their income until after the divorce.

Your Spouse Can Hide Perks

Employees may be granted an expense account, a paid parking space, a meal allowance, or a clothing allowance.

These should count as income.

If your spouse has a company car for personal use, it should count as income as well.

If there is an expense account to entertain clients with, but your spouse keeps part of the money, you need to include it.

You may be able to find receipts and other documents that prove that your spouse keeps expense account money for themselves.

Your Spouse Can Divert Bonuses to Another Account

People who expect to get divorced sometimes ask their employers to credit only part of their bonus to their regular account.

They ask them to put the rest in a separate account each year so that the money remains hidden from their spouse.

You should look at the way your spouse’s employer has paid bonuses in the past, and look for recent changes to the payment pattern.

Trips That Combine Business With Pleasure

Business trips often include additional days of stay once the business to be conducted completes.

Money spent on these days should count as income.

Sometimes, employers allow employees to take their spouses with them on business trips.

You can check to see if your spouse took someone else instead of you.

If they did, the value of the trip should count as income.

Your Spouse Can Hide Stock Options

When an employee receives stock options, they get to buy company stock at discounted rates.

If your spouse has exercised options in this way, they could have significant assets that you’re unaware of.

There May Be Special Circumstances

Sometimes, employers put important employees on profit-sharing arrangements.

They may also enter into co-ownership deals with such key employees.

It’s important to be aware of such circumstances and to count money received as income.

Paid or Accumulated Personal Days Off

If your spouse has sick days or personal days that they haven’t made use of, they could get paid for them.

It’s income that needs to be included in your accounting.

Using Loans to Hide Money

When people get divorced, they sometimes arrange for friends or employers to make sham loans to them.

The aim of taking out such loans is to attempt to prove poverty in court.

Your lawyer may be able to uncover such arrangements.

Knowing how much money a spouse makes can be key to receiving fair alimony or child support payments.

It’s important to use the pointers above to look for every scrap of income that a spouse may make.

If you have questions about ways your spouse can hide their income before divorce in an Arizona divorce case, you should seriously consider contacting the attorneys at Hildebrand Law, PC. Our Arizona divorce and family law attorneys have over decades of combined experience successfully representing clients in divorce and family law cases.

Our family law firm has earned numerous awards such as US News and World Reports Best Arizona Family Law Firm, US News and World Report Best Divorce Attorneys, “Best of the Valley” by Arizona Foothills readers, and “Best Arizona Divorce Law Firms” by North Scottsdale Magazine.

Call us today at (480)305-8300 or reach out to us through our appointment scheduling form to schedule your personalized consultation and turn your Arizona divorce or family law case around today.

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Hildebrand Law, PC Voted Best Divorce Law Firm in Arizona in Arizona Foothills Magazine

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