Separation Agreement Lawyers Mississauga

A couple may decide to separate and end their relationship. In this case, they will need to make important decisions on matters including:

Marital Home Division – Which spouse will stay in the house
Equalization – Division of property and all other marital assets
Child Custody – Decisions concerning where their children will live and who will care for them
Child Support – All financial support matters including a child and spousal support

Essential steps towards separation Agreement?

Organize Finances
Once you have decided to separate, you should separate your finances and take the below steps:

Open an individual bank account in your name for all income, social, and child care benefits you receive
List all your incomes, assets, and debts – including TFSAs, RRSPs, chequing accounts, savings accounts, insurance policies, vehicles, jewelry, all other valuables, mortgage, line of credits, credit cards with their amount owing
Keep a copy of all financial documents with themselves including pay stubs of yourself and your partner, statements of bank accounts, RRSPs, car, auto, and health insurance policies, tax returns, business tax returns, ownership documents of the car, home, mortgage documents, credit card statements and all bills for water, hydro, internet

Make a budget

Prepare a detailed budget for you and your children listing the income and the necessary expenses for the month. Contact us for Separation Agreement Lawyers Mississauga.

Confirm date of separation

It is important to identify the date of separation as it has legal implications for certain issues including:

Divorce application – a couple can apply for divorce only if they have been separated for more than one year
Division of Property – married couples have a right to share in the property only for the duration of the relationship. The spouse’s entitlement for the share ends once the couple separates unless the property is owned jointly.

It may happen that you both may not be sure of the date of separation. Or you and your partner may not agree on the date you separated.

For any confusion in identifying the date of separation, the couples need to look at when they started living apart from each other, separated their finances, started doing things on their own.

Mutually Decide on Issues

Spouses need to make decisions on issues in their relationship including:

Decisions regarding with whom the children will live, their education, and all child support matters
Decide on the parenting plan for the children
Decide on assets and debts
Decide who will stay in the matrimonial home – married couples have an equal right to stay in the matrimonial home which is not present in the case of common-law couples
Spousal support -who will pay, its duration, and its amount for one spouse
Whether or not to go for a divorce and which spouse will apply for it
One spouse may make a safety plan for themselves and the children if the other spouse has been abusive.

We ensure prompt communication and a caring approach to get the best outcomes for you and your family.