When is the best time to divorce?

On behalf of Ronald H. Kauffman, P.A. posted in Divorce on Wednesday, January 22, 2014.

Did you know that beginning of the year was the most popular time for getting married in Florida? It is also the most popular time to get divorce. In fact, January is nicknamed the “Divorce Month”. Researchers at FindLaw.com recently did an analysis of all American divorce filings and found that there is a spike in divorces in January, followed by a peak in late March. What’s happening at the beginning of the new year that causes people to both marry and divorce?

The Findlaw.com research analysis also showed internet search terms for “divorce” and phrases like “family law” and “child custody” jumped by 50% from December to January, and continued to swell through March. As the research shows:

For some people, it’s all about money. The end of the year is typically when bonuses are paid. Bonuses can be classified as marital property or factored into support payments. By filing before the bonus is received, you may avoid the marital characterization, and it may also help with tax filings.

Other people view the start of a new year as an “existential moment” in that people look at their lives, realize they go by too quickly and that their current version is not happy.

A study noted that of those who cheat on their spouses, 56% of men and 42% of women do so during the holiday season. These affairs may trigger post-New Year’s divorce filings.

Still for other couples the start of the new year marks the end of the ‘Season of Togetherness’, now it’s back to real life.

Some of the interesting statistics compiled by the state of Florida include: