Preparing for Divorce in Mississippi: Step 3C – What does your family make?
Step 3C - Determine your family’s income
The court and your lawyer will need documentation showing the income for you and your spouse. This is especially important for child support, spousal support, and the division of property.
If you and your spouse are salaried employees, then your job is easy. Get a copy of the most recent pay stubs. Additionally, you will need to determine if there are any deferred compensation plans. This should be shown in the pay stubs or last W-2.
If you do not have access to the W-2 or income tax returns, you can get copies of your income tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service. Download Form 4506, Request for Copy of Tax Return, from www.irs.gov. The form contains instructions for completing. You will pay $39.00 for each return requested.
If your spouse owns their own business, your job of determining their income may be more difficult. Again, get the basic information from income tax returns. However, you might want to get more information. Be discrete unless you're ready to get the divorce process initiated. If you can’t find out the information, your attorney will be able to get this information during the discovery phase of the divorce. The key is having a basic knowledge of what your spouse does for a living, who are your spouse’s business partners, if any, and where your spouse maintains their business records. If you have access to those business records, you would be wise to make copies of documents, which we will talk about later.
