Low income family ,Washington state, about to be divorced

Gattsama · 2024-08-06T22:59:09+00:00

Also divorced in WA, but no kids and I make good money; together 17 years and married 12 years. Put a link to an overview of the process in WA at the end of this. DM me if you want to talk personal. In WA state there's a 90 d waiting period between filing for divorce and final settlement. In my case, I filed on my own (downloaded pdf files from country courthouse website) but everything with TU, she lawyer-ed up, and we proceed to waste huge amounts of money...

This is a community property state, so all communal assets and debts will be split 50/50. So do NOT pay off any more debt, 50% of it goes to her at final settlement. Also she will be imputed, worst case to minimum wage, so figure ~$30-35k/yr. Make a list of ALL communal assets and debts, then divide by 2. That will be your final package to work with.

Spousal support wise she would likely qualify. There are no firm rules in this state, but for mid-length marriages the rule of thumb is 1 year of support for every 3-4 years of marriage, so figure 2.5-3.3 years of support. The amount is highly variable, but will be based on both your imputed incomes. For you that's going to most likely be the last 2-3 years W2's, and for her imputed to minimum wage. The amount is based on her need and your ability to pay. There are no firm rules. Lots of room to fight / negotiate.

As for the kids, normally the state will grant 50/50 custody. BUT residency (where to kids sleep) is highly variable and often where all the fighting occurs. No matter what you do you can't really change the 50/50 split of assets/debts, and 50/50 custody is (largely) normally here too. But residency is open to lots of fighting. Ideally you want that to be 50/50 too. Most often these days 7/7 or 5225.

Child support is going to happen until the kids are 18. The way it works is partly based on residency (the number of midnights) and that's why women fight so hard to get primary residency; and each parties imputed income. In theory neither party is actually ordered to pay child support to the other. The state calculates how much each child gets, then looks at residency, then divides that to each party. So lets say in theory (just to make the math easy) that's $100/mo for the child. You each have 50/50 custody and residency, so you each owe $50 to the other party when the kid is not with you, this would cancel out and neither party would pay anything. Let's instead say 50/50 custody, but she has the kids 26 days a month, and you have every other weekend at 4 days per month. Well that $100 would be split you owe her $87 and she owes you $13. She would not actually pay the $13, so you would just give her $74/mo for when the kids are not with you. If that didn't make sense, watch the video from the link below on how child support works in WA :)

There are no family courts in WA, so cases are heard by superior court. They do NOT want to hear these cases. They have bigger issues and strong encourage mediation. Very cases actually go to trial, and trial is a huge waste of time and money because except for: amount of spousal support and child residency, you pretty much get the same end point.

IF you are both civil, either a DIY online divorce (can find all the forms on the country website) or an online service for a few hundred dollars would be ideal. If you are semi civil, then going strait to mediation would be the next best option, as a neutral 3rd party helps you work out how to divide everything for your final settlement, and most services will write up the paperwork, have an attorney review, then submit to the judge.

The system is fundamentally broken, unfair and unjust. The most important thing going forward is how civil and workable your STBX (soon to be eX) is. If she's realistic, understands that she will HAVE to work, the kids should be 50/50, that spousal support will be for a few years max and not much, and you can work out a 'legally fair' plan; do that. IF she is unreasonable things can go to shit really quickly! Good luck and stay safe...

https://www.genesislawfirm.com/divorce-washington-state

Training_Ad1368 · 2024-08-06T22:58:28+00:00

You can apply for snap and section 8, after the facts. After the divorce about half of your wedges will go to her. Once this settles do paint work for cash on the weekends. But believe me, living alone you will be able to save even if you make less because she actually makes the bills higher

mr21vp · 2024-08-06T22:45:35+00:00

Do have have any skills/trades to work on the side for cash under-the-table? Even 10 hours a week would be a nice boost

cg69ass · 2024-08-06T21:56:55+00:00

If you guys can work together there are businesses that offer low cost divorces in the state. My brother used one of those companies and him and his ex were able to work out all arrangements before they had their court appearance.

Reflog1791 · 2024-08-06T20:36:17+00:00

Do you have to get a divorce?

Supporting two households will be difficult. Your CS and alimony payments will be relatively low but yes you are probably looking at a serious lifestyle downgrade.

Divorce has a way of making us earn more money. So the squeeze is temporary if you get after it.

Noobinpro · 2024-08-06T20:33:19+00:00

Get through the divorce. Don't drink, don't do drugs, don't use nicotine, work out, eat right and sleep. You will be dealt a hand when this divorce is through, most likely every other weekend with the kids and a Weds for dinner, possibly just visitation until housing is established.

The good news. What you make is crap and you can easily double it in less than 2 years. CDL jobs, Non-cdl driving jobs, electrician/lineman, HVAC, machinist, plumber, the list goes on and on. Even a manager at Walgreens does good especially in WA.

Getting through this divorce with a stable/sober mind is crucial. Your ex wife is no longer an ally.

Title	Low income family ,Washington state, about to be divorced
Author	GriffBallChamp
Upvotes	10
Comments	23
Date	August 6, 2024 8:12 PM UTC (1 year ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/Divorce_Men
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/Divorce_Men/comments/1elrvi7/low_income_family_washington_state_about_to_be/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/Divorce_Men/low-income-family-washington-state-about-to-be.1526536 https://theredarchive.com/post/1526536

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