Hiding assets

[DiddlySquatSquared]

I’ve posted previously under a different NN.

XH came to the first financial hearing with a hand completed form E and a solicitor he had instructed just the day before. He claimed he had posted form e to me and court but neither received it

I’ve had a look over it and he’s missing lots of details - the most concerning to me is his pension. He claims he has just £400 in a workplace pension but I know from when we were together he has been saving since age 16 and should have a very sizeable pension now.

My question is, how do I prove it? I’ve found pension tracing services. Can I use these (guessing no for GDPR) or ask that he does? Is there another way?

The pension will only be for the time you were married not from him being 16.

Doesn’t he have to declare the value of all his pensions on form E though? It looks like he’s only declared what he has from his current employment of 4 months.

Yes he must declare all his pensions. Do you know who he worked for?

He worked for his dad’s company for many years but I know he paid into a private pension. I don’t know who that was with though.

In Scotland only the value of pensions built up during marriage are taken into account. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland all pension savings are taken into account, not just the part built up during the marriage.

We live in England. I’m not actually pursuing his pension, just a share of the house. I think he’s hidden assets too. He’s not provided bank statements for the last 12 months, only account balances for September. There is also no mention of a £20,000 ISA he had when I left him.

Is there a way I can find out what pensions he holds?

Do you have a solicitor?

No. Unfortunately, I can’t afford one. I am considering employing a solicitor just to see what i can expect in terms of a settlement but money is very tight, especially as he’s stopped paying child maintenance.

You need to put in a Questionnaire asking for everything missing from his form E (bank statements etc.)

The pension is much harder if you don't know who It's with. An asset trace might help, but I've not seen one targeting pensions before. You could try asking him to do the pension search, but I don't know how good they are.

Who was the ISA with, do you know?

Have you app,ied to the CMS for child maintenance?
If the Form E was not received by court prior to the 1st hearing, what did the judge say?
You really need to push to find all his finances before going any further. 12 months statements will normally show a lot. If he has invested in an ISA in the past year it’s fair to think he might have invested in previous years so you need to see his ISA statement.

And in a long marriage (over 10 years) all pensions can be taken into account in England, including those pre marriage. Ditto inheritance.