Who do I need to tell that I’m getting a divorce?

Divorcing is a stressful time, and it can be hard to keep on top of all the things you need to do during such a challenging time. This includes all the people and organisations you need to inform about your divorce.

To help with this, we’ve put together a handy guide outlining those you need to inform about your situation.

Bank

Do you have a joint bank account with your ex-partner? Some banks will freeze the account once they are notified about an impending divorce, so it’s important to talk to them to ensure that any regular payments or direct debits continue to be paid. One way to deal with this is to agree with your ex who will be responsible for paying the bills and make arrangements for this. It might mean that one person has to transfer money each month to an account to cover any bills.

Credit Cards/Loans

Again, think this through carefully in terms of how repayments will be met and whose responsibility they will be. Talk to the companies involved who may be able to advise you on the best way to proceed.

Mortgage Company

As your home is probably your most valuable asset, it is important not to default on any mortgage payments and incur the risk of getting a bad credit rating. While emotions are running high, it can be tempting for the partner who has left the family home to stop paying the mortgage. Yet, long term it is important to prevent the mortgage from foreclosing and the mortgage provider selling the property.

Local Council

If one partner has moved out of the family home leaving just one adult living at the property, do inform your local council as single adults are entitled to a 25% sole occupancy council tax reduction.

The Tax Office

Being divorced will affect the amount of tax you pay, so do inform HMRC of any changes to your family situation.

Utility Companies & Bills

If the name of the person paying the bills is changing, inform all the companies involved including the TV Licencing company.

DVLA & Insurance

If cars are no longer living at the home address, do inform the insurance company involved and alert the DVLA to a change of address on your driving licence. You should also change the address on the car registration document.

School & Activity Providers

To help any children deal with family breakdown, do tell the school and any activity providers that you are divorcing. This will alert them to the cause of any change in behaviour and help them to support the children adjust.

Doctors

It is also worth flagging up to your doctor’s surgery the change in family circumstances. Again, it will help them to support you.

If you would like any further advice on separation or divorce, we offer an initial no obligation consultation for £50 (incl. VAT) for up to one hour, where you can chat to a family lawyer about the impact it may have on your specific circumstances. To book, please call us on 01444 472700, email us on info@tisshawssolicitors.co.uk or complete the form below.