Always 'divorced' or change to single?

[Blowandgo]

I am divorced quite happily the past 6 years. I have just filled in a loan application and clicked the divorced box. We had no kids together/my sons are nothing to do with him (Irish, takes a ridiculous amount of time to get a divorce) so am I doomed to be a divorcee forever or can I become a singleton again? What did you do?

Its only a box. Most of the time I don't even tick them. If pushed I always put single. Hate labels.

I think you can choose. Slightly different situation but my Mum, who was very happily married for over forty years until my father died, always ticks the box as single rather than widowed. I thought it was a bit strange at first, but she pointed out that she is, at the time of ticking the box, a single woman. The box isn't asking for her life history.

A divorce is something you get. It’s not something you are. You’re single!

I kept my married name so that it's the same as my child. As she is now an adult I intend to change my surname to get rid of any connection. So I suppose I have gone from 'divorced' to 'single'.

Any connection to my ex, not my daughter!

In any other case it doesn't really matter, but as it's a loan application, don't take it lightly. Being a divorcee might be very different to a singleton from a bank's perspective as there could be additional risks arising from the divorce that they might want to review.

@Dacquoise
Not sure I will change mine unless I remarry, thankfully this is looking likely once I get round to sorting the paperwork for divorce out.

There is a very good reason financial institutions ask for this information. There could be all sorts of implications for them with your status around security on a family home, future earnings and other financial agreements. Not always the case but they need to know to make their decision. Divorcee in this context is purely a legal flag and nothing to do with being not in a relationship. It is different to being single and you should complete the form correctly.

So I should put divorced on everything? Like legally am I classed as divorced forever unless I remarried or can I ever legally be single again? I did click divorced but it is not what defines me if you get me. My home is not now nor was ever to do with my ex husband thankfully so absolutely no ties with him whatsoever if that makes any difference?

Once your divorce is final you become single again.
Surely!?????
I doubt it makes a difference which box you tick.
I divorced and have been 'single' for a while now.

www.equifax.co.uk/resources/loans_and_credit/divorce-and-your-credit-score.html

Take a look at this which may explain why the 'divorced' box was on your loan application. Having read through this I can now see no valid reason to use that box going forward. I am officially 'single'. Yippee!

Well. enjoy your single status whatever the boxes want.

Certain things such as car insurance actually rate your premiums on marital status. When I went from married to divorced on my insurance it went up by £50

for insurance, ticking single when you are divorced could invalidate the policy. insurance companies will take any tiny error in the declarations you make to wiggle out of awarding a payout if you make a claim (they won't care before then as they will just collect your premiums happily so long as they don't have to pay out)

Its possible that some loan products have variable interest rates calculated on the basis of credit score which could be affected by material status too, which would make you technically guilty of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception (ie theft) if the bank chose to make a big deal of it.

so I would advise you always declare yourself a divorcee on any financial form but fine to tick single on anything less official like supermarket loyalty card registration where it is just being gathered for marketing purposes. marketers have no right to truthful/complete info.