Divorces are never easy, but when one spouse has been at home for several years without an income, a divorce can be especially scary. The at-home spouse is now faced with the prospect of finding a job and a way to support the family, as well as making ends meet until the divorce is final.
In some cases, the spouse with the income decides that he or she will no longer pay the bills, even before the divorce is final. If the at-home spouse does not yet have a job, this can create a great deal of financial hardship.
Your spouse is under no obligation to give you money to pay any bills unless there is a court order in place for child support or spousal support. If your husband closes your joint account and then decides to open a new bank account and deposit all of his paycheck into that account, giving you nothing, he can do that unless the court says otherwise.
Therefore, it’s important to see an attorney as soon as possible in the divorce process. You will ask the divorce court to award temporary spousal and child support. You can ask the court for temporary support even if you haven’t yet filed for divorce. It’s critical that you act quickly, because as your bills continue to pile up, it will become more and more difficult to get caught up.