Going through a separation or divorce can be stressful and often means your financial situation is affected.
Any joint debts you have with your partner will have joint and several liability. This means that, if your partner can’t make payment to the debt, you will need to repay the full amount.
If you don’t have any joint debts you can get a ‘notice of disassociation’. This removes any financial link with your ex-partner on your credit file. To do this you need to contact one of the credit reference agencies who can remove this link.
Housing
If you’re renting a property you’ll need to inform the landlord that the tenancy agreement needs to be transferred into your name only.
If you’ve got a joint mortgage you may want to seek legal advice before you decide what will happen to your property.
Your income
Separation will usually affect your income and living arrangements. This could mean that your benefit entitlement changes. You can use our free benefits checker to find out what benefits you can claim and the amounts you’re likely to receive.
If you’ve got children with your ex-partner you need to arrange child maintenance. Whenever possible it’s always better to try and arrange an informal agreement with your ex-partner, but if this isn’t possible you can contact the Child Support Agency (CSA) who will be able to do this for you.
If your separation means you’re now the only adult in the property, make sure you tell your local council as you’ll be entitled to a 25% discount on your council tax.
Help and advice
Divorce Aid are an independent organisation of professionals who can provide divorce advice to anyone in the UK.
Separation often means your household income will dramatically reduce so you may be struggling to manage your household bills along with any debts you may have.
If need debt advice or information on dealing with your debts, you can use our online Debt Remedy tool. This can provide you with advice and a debt solution that are tailored to your situation.
You can also call our freephone Helpline on 0800 138 1111.
