Surveys have shown that 10 to 15 percent of married women admit to cheating on their spouses, while men double that statistic, with 20 to 25 percent of married men admitting to cheating on their partners. How does infidelity affect divorce? After all, cheating is something that most married couples never get over and is one of the leading causes of divorce.

What Adultery Does Not Affect During Divorce

It is easier to first list the aspects of divorce that are not affected by adultery because adultery has no effect on most of the things that people typically assume that it does. For instance, adultery does not sway a court one way or the other when it comes to child custody unless it can be proven that the cheating spouse’s affair somehow put the child at physical or emotional harm, which is extremely rare. Similarly, adultery has no effect on child support or the parenting plan. Asset distribution almost always remains the same whether marriage end because of infidelity or some other unrelated reason. It may seem like a cheating spouse put less effort into the marriage or is setting a horrible example for his or her children, and therefore is less equipped to be a parent, but the courts generally treat a cheating spouse better than a spouse with a gambling addiction, for example. Only when the infidelity is proven to have directly affected the child in a negative way, such as exposing the child to a prostitute, will a court use infidelity to make a custody decision. The same goes for asset division. However, there is one exception to the later.

Dissipation

Illinois is an equitable distribution state, meaning that property is divided “fairly.” Under 750 ILCS 5/503, the court “shall divide the marital property without regard to marital misconduct in just proportions considering all relevant factors.” As such, adultery does not affect property distribution. However, the court does recognize the misuse of marital assets, called the “dissipation” of marital assets. One type of misuse is spending marital assets on another sexual partner. For example, the court may choose to reduce the property distributed to the husband if it can be proven that he spent money on hotel rooms, jewelry, and dinners for his mistress.

A good outcome of a divorce depends significantly on the arguments, as well as the agreements that you make during the divorce process. This transition period in your life is not typically a high-point of rational decisions, either. However, it is vital that you make well-thought-out agreements to ensure you have a good foundation for your life after divorce. Here are a few tips that can help.

The Decision

Generally, choosing to divorce is not a mutual decision. Typically, one partner feels unhappy or unappreciated in the union and begins to disconnect from the marriage, gathering a laundry list of bad qualities of their partner along the way. This coping strategy is relatively common, where one party blames the other spouse for the end of the marriage, but also extends the time they have to deal with the grief of the loss of their marriage. The other person is often seen as the victim and is caught off guard.

The Announcement

If you were the initiator or the victim influences the way that you will respond to the announcement; and it also has a direct impact of how you will behave in the following steps. Especially if children are involved, this is an excellent time to seek the advice of an experienced attorney so you can fully understand your options and plan your next steps.

There is a common misconception that prenuptial agreements only benefit the wealthy. News stories of high profile divorce cases openly discussing existing prenuptial agreements only serve to perpetuate and reinforce this error. While affluent Americans do experience substantial benefits, having the protection of a prenuptial agreement is arguably more valuable to the working class citizens.

Although it is not the most romantic idea, if you have an upcoming marriage, you will want to consider creating a prenuptial agreement, and here is why:

Marriage Is a Legal Agreement

Although the thought of marriage being a legal agreement is a sobering realization, those who understand and appreciate this reality fare better in the unfortunate event of divorce. Before the wedding begins, everyone is confident love that will never end; yet, the United States has a notorious divorce rate of nearly half of all unions. In Illinois, once you are married, everything is owned jointly, from the money you make in your business to the house you buy and everything in between. During a divorce, everything is subject to an equitable marriage division, or as close to 50/50 as possible, unless you have a prenuptial agreement stating otherwise. For some, losing half of their assets is financially devastating.

If your divorce finalized on or before December 31, 2018, anyone paying alimony can claim spousal maintenance expenses to receive a tax deduction. Additionally, the recipient of the alimony will declare their payments as taxable income. However, new laws swept the nation affecting divorce judgments and modifications as of January 1, 2019. Here is how the new rules will affect you.

The Party Making Payments

If you finished signing the divorce settlement last year, the new tax laws do not pertain to you. Anyone just tying up the loose ends of their divorce or making modifications this year need to know that, going forward, any alimony paid is no longer tax-deductible.

How much you spend is also different with new calculation guidelines. Previously, maintenance payments were calculated by subtracting 20% of the recipient’s gross income from 30% of the gross income of the payor, capping out at 40% of the total combined gross income of both parties. One new change uses net income rather than the previous gross income standard. Today, a spousal maintenance payment is calculated by subtracting 25% of the recipient’s net income from 33.33% of the payor’s net income.

Formerly referred to as alimony, spousal support is intended to provide a spouse with lower income or lower income potential with financial support after a divorce. Prior to awarding spousal support to a spouse, the court considers several factors including the age of each spouse, the couple’s standard of living during the marriage, the assets and income of each spouse, sacrifices a spouse made to support the other spouse’s career or education, and the present and future earning capacity of each spouse.

While most people understand the basics of spousal support, many wonder when it ends. Read on to find the answer to this question.

Events That May End Spousal Support