Not many people want to continue living with their former spouse during or after a divorce. However, many former couples simply cannot afford to move out as soon as the relationship falls apart. Other couples may need to wait until they find a buyer for their home before either spouse can afford to leave. In…
Dependent Care Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA) allow individuals to keep a portion of their tax-free earnings to pay for dependent care expenses. The Internal Revenue Service allows families to set aside up to $5,000 per year to pay for expenses like daycare or home health care for dependent children or elderly/disabled adults. The $5,000 per…
Every parent wants to spend as much time as possible with his or her children. In Washington State, parenting time is usually split equally between two parents unless a judge finds that one parent’s time should be restricted based on certain limiting factors. Washington State statutes outline circumstances when a judge may decide to limit…
Washington State has one of the largest Native American populations in the country. As a result, the state has a robust system of tribal courts than handle many matters, including divorce and child custody issues involving Native American children and adults. What Is a Tribal Court? There are 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington State.…
When divorced parents want to change residences or move with their children, it can be a huge source of conflict. If your ex-spouse is planning to move and take the children, you must act quickly if you want to protect your legal rights. Moving Without a Parenting Plan If your spouse is planning to move,…
Not every person who procreates is fit to be a parent. When a parent is abusive or neglectful to his or her children, the state can get involved and can terminate that person’s parental rights. If you are seeking to terminate a person’s parental rights on an involuntary basis, you should be aware of how…
If parents share time with their children equally, does one parent still have to pay child support? In the past, many judges awarded mothers primary custody of the children, while fathers were left with limited visitation schedules and an obligation of child support. Today, this is no longer the norm. It is not unusual for…
When divorced parents live far away from each other, it can be difficult to come up with a parenting plan that fairly divides a child’s time with each parent. Parents will need to work together to create a plan that takes distance into account and gives each parent as much time as possible with the…
Ideally, every divorcing couple would treat each other with respect and negotiate a settlement agreement which fits each person’s needs. In the real world, divorces are often messy, and some spouses may play dirty to get what they want. Unfortunately, this means that many people have had their reputations tarnished by false allegations in divorce…