STBXH lying about his earnings (self-employed) - how can I get truth out of him?

[HenriettaBarnet]

STBX became self employed this year - running a legal/property consultancy business. We were vaguely civil at the beginning of the year and he said he would potentially earn much more than he did as an employed person.

I have seen accidentally a list of the work he has planned for this year, it has figures attached to it.

I am trying to push on with a divorce, but he has been refusing to disclose any information to me about his earnings, refusing to file a Form E etc. today, in the spirit of open-ness he has emailed me what he has said is full details of his current and future workload and earnings.

However, I can see it is substantially less than the other list that I have seen. I have no doubt that he will lie in court and only disclose what he's told me.

How can I get a full disclosure of his earnings? presumably he can be obliged to provide bank accounts and his company accounts? If he has a hidden bank account that I don't know about can he be obliged to show that?

Are there any other ways that I can get information about his earnings?

I should say that I would be very happy to agree the position with him and avoid going to court - he is just refusing to engage with the process at all.

thanks

[Skiptonlass]

Forensic accountant?

[FlabulousChix]

Make him an offer. Tell him you have seen the correct figures and just want fairness

[HenriettaBarnet]

I think that we can agree a monthly maintenance figure, but it's the property interest that will cause a problem. If the figures that I've seen are correct, he's going to be pretty wealthy in a couple of years (well the amount will equal the equity in the house quite quickly), whereas I have no scope to increase my salary. If I could prove he's going to earn lots, I think this could help my case in a court with the property order.

Also there's a bit of me that just wants him to tell the bloody truth. Every month he moans about giving money to me (for his children ) whereas in reality he's not struggling at all.

Maybe the only way is to wait a few years until he's filed accounts etc, but then the house value will have gone up and I'm trying to avoid giving him a share of the equity (it's low at the moment as we have 22 years left on the mortgage).

[HenriettaBarnet]

also, I'm keen to sort this out now so I can move on.