2025 Florida Year-End Divorce Review: Key Considerations Before January 1
If you are the higher earner in a Florida divorce or support case, year-end can feel like a pressure point. Money, travel, holidays, and parenting schedules all hit at once.
When I meet with clients in West Palm Beach at this time of year, we usually start with one question: Does your paperwork still match what is happening in your life?
A short, honest review now can keep issues from turning into arrears, conflict, or rushed decisions in January.
- Start with the official orders, not your memory
Do not start with what you remember. Start with what is written.
- Pull the paperwork
- Final judgment
- Parenting plan
- Child support and alimony orders
- Compare your paperwork to real life
- Are the income numbers for both of you still realistic?
- Has anyone changed jobs, started a business, retired, or taken a severe pay cut?
- Are you both doing what the orders actually require?
- Watch for quiet side deals
- Have you agreed to “just do it this way for now”?
- Are you paying more or less than the written amount?
- Is the time-sharing schedule you follow different from the one in the plan?
If there is a dispute later, the judge will look at the written orders, not the informal arrangement.
2. Year-end income: bonuses, job changes, and timing
Year-end tends to expose the truth about income. Bonuses and commissions hit, business results are final, and job changes become official. Courts look at total income, not just base pay. That can include overtime, bonuses, business distributions, and rental income.
One client learned that her former husband had moved into a higher-paying job and received a hefty year-end bonus. Once we had proof, she filed to modify child support, and the judge increased support back to the filing date.
If income has significantly decreased, through no fault of your own, or the other parent’s income has clearly increased, year-end is not the time to wait and see. Now is the time to gather documents and get legal advice about whether to file.
3. Holiday parenting plans: common pressure points
Holidays show whether a parenting plan really works. Problems I see often include:
- Poor communication about holiday plans
- Late or chaotic exchanges
- Last-minute attempts to rewrite the schedule
One client verbally agreed to give up her Thanksgiving time, so her former husband could have that holiday, and he would give her his Christmas time. She followed through at Thanksgiving. When Christmas came, he stuck with the original order and kept the children, and she lost both holidays.
To reduce that risk:
- Put every holiday swap in writing, at least by text or email
- Make sure both of you are clear on dates, times, and exchange locations
- For repeated holiday changes, talk with a family law attorney about a formal modification
4. Taxes, child support, and alimony at year-end
Before you change support, you should understand a few tax basics:
- Child support is not taxable income to the parent who receives it, nor is it tax-deductible to the parent who pays it.
- For most divorce agreements signed after December 31, 2018, alimony generally does not benefit the payor as a tax deduction, nor is it considered as income that the recipient will be required to pay taxes on.
- Some older alimony orders still follow the old rules, where payments were deductible to the payer and taxable to the recipient.
If you have an older order or complex finances, review the order with a family law attorney and speak with a tax professional before signing anything new.
5. What a year-end family law review looks like in my office
When clients come to see me in November or December in West Palm Beach, we keep the review focused and practical. We usually:
- Compare this year’s income to prior years
- Check whether child support, alimony, and time-sharing orders are being followed
- Look for red flags such as growing arrears or constant side deals
- Decide whether a modification, enforcement, or simple monitoring makes the most sense
My role is to provide you with a clear understanding of your exposure as the higher earner and realistic options under Florida law.
Key takeaways from a Florida year-end divorce review
- Start with your written orders, not your memory.
- Year-end income changes can justify a support review, but timing matters.
- Holiday problems are easier to manage when every swap is documented early.
- Child support and alimony are subject to different tax rules, and older orders might be handled differently than newer ones.
- A focused year-end review can reveal whether you need to make modifications, enforce existing plans, or develop a clearer plan for the coming year.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Do I have to file before December 31 to protect myself?
Usually, no. For most modern child support and alimony orders, what matters more is when the actual change occurs and when you file, not the calendar year.
Q: Can we just agree on our own to change support or holiday time?
You can make informal agreements, but the written court order still takes precedence if there is a dispute later. For holiday swaps, always confirm in writing. For long-term changes in support or time-sharing, it is safer to consult a lawyer and consider a formal modification.
Q: What if I am already behind on child support or alimony at year-end?
If you are behind, do not ignore it and hope it clears up on its own. Keep paying what you reasonably can, keep records, and talk with a family law attorney as soon as possible. In many cases, a court can adjust support starting from the date you file a proper request, but arrears accumulated before you filed may still follow you. The earlier you address it, the more options you generally have.
Next steps: discuss your year-end options
If you are in West Palm Beach or anywhere in Palm Beach County and you are facing year-end decisions about divorce, child support, alimony, or a parenting plan, you do not have to sort it out alone.
A focused year-end family law review can help you understand your exposure as the higher earner and plan your next steps before arrears and stress build up. To discuss your situation and options under Florida law, you can call my office at (561) 677-8090 or use the consultation form on our website to schedule a confidential consultation.