If you will pay child support, alimony or both due to your divorce, you want to ensure that the court looks at your income in a fair manner. In some cases, what you do not consider income, the court may.
It helps to know the general guidelines for determinations. Forbes explains that, in general, the court will consider all earned income or anything that provides passive income.
Typical considerations
Your salary or regular wages will always be part of the consideration. The court will also look at commissions and bonuses. If you have passive income from past work experiences, then this counts as income as well.
The court will consider other types of passive income, such as interest earned on accounts or payouts from investments. It may also consider any type of non-monetary benefits from your employer.
Essentially, the court will consider anything that contributes to your assets or ability to support yourself as part of your income.
Uncovering income
The court will usually begin its inquiry into your income by looking at your tax returns. However, it will also dig deeper to find those things that your taxes may not reflect. It will determine what it does by looking at your lifestyle during the marriage compared to your taxes. If it feels that your lifestyle would require more income than your taxes show, it will begin an investigation to find out where your other income sources are.
Additional income
The court can also add to your income if it feels your current income does not reflect your potential. For example, if you do not currently have a job, then the court will assign you an income based on your employment history, education, training and abilities.
