Financial / Tax info

In a healthy marriage, both partners are considered equal in the relationship, which should involve both being able to have access to the marital money, regardless of who may have “earned” the money. When one spouse is limiting the other’s access or giving them an “allowance,” this is often a sign of financial abuse, which is a form of domestic abuse. You may want to read more about financial abuse to see if you think this is going on in your marriage.

In terms of whether someone has the “right” to spend money under the law, any money earned during a marriage by either partner is generally considered marital money that is the property of either or both spouses. Laws don’t address who has access to money within a marriage or how much access they should or should not have to the money. (However, there is a concept called “marital waste” that could be raised in a divorce, which is when one spouse mis-spends money in a way that has no benefit on the other spouse.) But, while couples are married, there isn’t a law, for example, that says both spouses have to be on all bank accounts; courts usually don’t get involved in money issues between spouses unless and until a divorce is filed and/or a petition for spousal support is filed. At that point, a judge could look at the income of both parties and order the higher earning spouse to pay the other spouse an amount of money. The judge could also divide up all of the marital income in a way that is equitable (fair) regardless of which spouse earned the money.

If you believe that there is financial abuse in your marriage, you may want to connect with a local domestic violence organization [HYPERLINK]for emotional support and for help with making a plan to leave the relationship safely if that’s what you decide to do.