While the Court recognizes that you are no longer husband

and wife, you are responsible to notify other people that

you are divorced, and you should take steps to change your

official records and important papers. The following

checklist is not exhaustive of all persons to notify, but

can be used as a guide.

Employer: Notify your employer to change your company

records and the beneficiaries on your group life insurance,

health and hospitalization insurance, or disability plan,

as well as your retirement benefits, including any profit

sharing, 401(k), pension, retirement, or deferred

compensation benefits, or your ex-spouse may receive

benefits you do not want HIM/HER to have. This must be

done in conformity with your Property Settlement Agreement.

If you are receiving a share of your spouse’s retirement,

pension, or 401(k) benefits, make sure you receive a copy

of the Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) awarding

those benefits.

Bank/Investment Clubs: Notify banks, investment clubs, and

credit unions of marital status changes, and close out

joint accounts in conformity with your Property Settlement

Agreement. Change beneficiary on savings, IRAs, KEOGH

plans, money market, or mutual fund accounts. Destroy old

joint checks.

Life/Disability Insurance: Contact all companies with whom

you have insurance of any kind. Change names of “insured”

and “beneficiaries” to reflect your new marital status.

Make sure your health, hospitalization, and life insurance

at work is changed. Also notify your automobile and

homeowners insurance carriers.

Health/Hospitalization Insurance: If you are carrying

family members on your policy who you are no longer

required to carry after your divorce, notify your company

and send it a copy of your divorce papers so that you will

not be charged an extra premium. If you are covered on

your spouse’s health and hospitalization insurance and you

want to continue the coverage at your own expense, contact

your ex-spouse’s employer or insurance carrier and ask

about COBRA rights which entitle you to purchase insurance

through them for additional months at your own cost.

Tax Preparer: Contact your tax preparer to discuss new tax

status, right to claim exemptions, necessity of changes in

withholding on paychecks, and effect on your taxes for the

year.

Charge/Credit/Debit Cards, Accounts and Creditors: Notify

companies of marital status changes, and close out joint

accounts or have the accounts transferred to your name

alone, making sure you do so in conformity with your

Property Settlement Agreement. Verify ending balances and

destroy joint credit cards.

Important Documents: Review all deeds to real estate,

titles to motor vehicles, bills of sale to personal

property, stock certificates, bonds, treasury notes,

certificates of deposit, checking accounts and savings

accounts to verify correct names on the documents and

accounts and the proper ownership after divorce. Make

arrangements to transfer items or change them as necessary.

Will: A divorce does not automatically change your Will.

Discuss the legal effect of your divorce upon your Will

with an attorney. Make the necessary changes to update

your Will to reflect your divorce and child custody

arrangements.

Power of Attorney: If you gave your spouse a power or

attorney over your legal affairs, health care or other

matters, you need to revoke that power of attorney in

writing. Discuss with an attorney what you need to do.

Name Change: If you changed your name as a part of your

divorce, you are required to notify the following to change

the listed items:

1. Circuit Court Clerk-driver’s license

2. Social Security Administration-social security card

3. Employer-W-2 form

4. Bank/Financial Institution-W-4 form and accounts

5. Credit Cards/Charge Accounts-cards and accounts

Social Security Benefits: If you were married ten (10) or

more years, you have the right upon retirement to claim

your ex-spouse’s social security benefits. Keep a copy of

your marriage license and your divorce papers and contact

the Social Security Administration when you are eligible to

file. If your ex-spouse dies while paying child support to

you for your children, you can file with Social Security

for benefits for yourself and your children until they

reach the age of 18 years.

Child Support: If you are awarded child support, make sure

the County Attorney’s office has your correct address and

social security number so that wage assignment payments

will come to you. Keep an accurate list of the dates and

amounts of each child support payment. You are entitled to

receive child support until the child reaches the age of 18

years or graduates from high school, whichever last occurs.

If you have a disabled child, your right to collect child

support continues past this time period throughout the

child’s disability. If your ex-spouse fails to pay the

child support, medical bills, or other required expenses by

court order, you can contact the County Attorney’s office

for assistance with collection of these amounts. Make sure

you have followed the terms of your Property Settlement

Agreement to give your ex-spouse written notice of the

failure to pay, and copies of any medical bills you are

requesting to be reimbursed, together with the statement

from the insurance company showing what was not paid.

If you are required to pay child support, make sure the

wage assignment is in place at your place of employment,

and the child support is being taken out of your paycheck

so that you have an accurate record of what was paid. If

you change jobs, it is your responsibility to put a new

wage assignment into place at your new place of employment.

This can be done by calling the County Attorney’s office or

contacting our law firm. If you have to pay your spouse

directly until the wage assignment goes into effect, then

obtain receipts for all payments so that your records will

reflect the amount you actually paid. Until the wage

assignment goes into effect, you should pay your child

support with a money order or check, made payable to your

ex-spouse (not the children), with “child support” written

on the memo line. Never pay your child support with cash.

Child support can change until your child reaches age 18 or

graduates from high school, whichever last occurs. You can

request a change in child support any time there is a

change of circumstances. Examples of changes of

circumstances include: (1) Either spouse receiving more or

less income; (2) Either spouse is no longer able to work

due to injury, disability, layoff, or firing; (3) The

amount of your health and hospitalization insurance premium

changes; (4) Day care expenses change. To be legally

entitled to a change in the child support you are receiving

or paying, the child support must increase or decrease

twenty-five percent (25%) during the first year after the

child support order, or at least fifteen percent (15%) in

years thereafter, based upon the new information. The

County Attorney’s office can review your child support with

you, or you may contact our office for a review.

Conclusion: Keep a copy of your divorce papers, including

the Decree of Dissolution of Marriage, Property Settlement

Agreement, Qualified Domestic Relations Orders, or any

other relevant court orders in a secure location with other

valuable papers, as you will need a copy of them in years

to come. You can obtain another copy of your divorce

papers from the Family Court Clerk’s Office in the Judicial

Center at 700 W. Jefferson Street if your divorce papers

are lost, destroyed, or damaged.

The above list is not intended to include all possible

persons and companies to contact, but to make suggestions

as to person who typically should be contacted.

It was our pleasure to represent you in this matter. If

you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate

to contact our office.