Dear Attorneys,
I have to pay child support before I even get divorced! I went to court, and the judge ordered that I pay my wife support throughout the whole case. I was very surprised that this could happen, especially since she has access to our joint account that I deposit into anyway. That had me thinking, can I just direct deposit the child support into our joint account for her?
Sincerely,
Shocked at Support
Dear Shocked,
Paying support throughout the pendency of a divorce is actually fairly common. Using a joint account to pay for them is a great idea! The money can be accessed by your wife almost immediately, and there will be a permanent log of transactions within the statements from your bank. Wolf & Shore has plenty of clients who choose to use a joint account as a way of paying support during their matter, however we do always recommend that you have a back-up method. This is because after your divorce is finalized, the joint account will likely be closed. Also, if you are depositing any support into a joint account (child support, alimony, or a contribution to household expenses, for example), you should also make sure that you are not using that account. If you are, then the opposing party can say that you are depleting the funds that you deposited and it makes doing an “accounting” of the finances a lot more difficult. We hope the answer to your question finds you well, and we wish you the best of luck with your divorce!
Sincerely,
Wolf & Shore Law Group
*The situations represented in our Dear Attorneys column are entirely fictional and any resemblance to a specific case is unintentional. We cannot, and will not, offer legal advice to anyone who is not a client. However, if you do have questions or concerns, you should contact an attorney at your convenience.