[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/why-we-often-work-with-forensic-accountants\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/why-we-often-work-with-forensic-accountants\/","headline":"Why We Often Work With Forensic Accountants","name":"Why We Often Work With Forensic Accountants","description":"When your attorney suggests hiring a forensic accountant, your immediate thoughts may be: \u201cWhy would I waste money on an accountant?\u201d, \u201cHow much is that going to cost me?\u201d, and \u201cHow will that benefit me?\u201d\u00a0We\u2019re here to answer your questions and explain why we often work with forensic accountants. What is a Forensic Accountant and […]","datePublished":"2023-05-10","dateModified":"2025-09-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/author\/james-kraayeveld\/#Person","name":"James Kraayeveld","url":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/author\/james-kraayeveld\/","identifier":29,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f327c36375f93cacc1f5818cbd6ca5f9c1c362ddf86682a8d1f0adac2b1f6198?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f327c36375f93cacc1f5818cbd6ca5f9c1c362ddf86682a8d1f0adac2b1f6198?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Kraayeveld Family Law","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Kraayeveld-Logo.svg","url":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Kraayeveld-Logo.svg","width":0,"height":0}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/child-support-bkgd_.webp","url":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/child-support-bkgd_.webp","height":450,"width":1920},"url":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/why-we-often-work-with-forensic-accountants\/","about":["Alimony"],"wordCount":494,"articleBody":"When your attorney suggests hiring a forensic accountant, your immediate thoughts may be: \u201cWhy would I waste money on an accountant?\u201d, \u201cHow much is that going to cost me?\u201d, and \u201cHow will that benefit me?\u201d\u00a0We\u2019re here to answer your questions and explain why we often work with forensic accountants.What is a Forensic Accountant and What Do They Do?A forensic accountant can provide the court with expert testimony regarding a couple\u2019s or a parent\u2019s finances. A forensic accountant is helpful, and even necessary, when one party hid or attempted to hide assets or income. A forensic accountant in a divorce will conduct a thorough review of financial records. This includes analyzing bank statements, credit card statements, tax returns, and other financial documents to identify any discrepancies or inconsistencies. The forensic accountant will also look for any patterns of spending that may indicate hidden assets or undisclosed income, such as large cash withdrawals or transfers to other accounts.Let\u2019s consider a situation where one uses a forensic accountant. Mom hires our firm for a\u00a0child support\u00a0or spousal support case, or for divorce and describes the couple\u2019s affluent lifestyle, indicating spending of a couple hundred thousand dollars per year from dad\u2019s self-employment income. During the discovery stage, Dad provides sworn answers claiming $110,000 in annual gross income. Our team immediately starts working with a forensic accountant.\u00a0With our team\u2019s investigation and discovery, we provide the forensic accountant with evidence, such as Dad\u2019s bookkeeping records and software, and soon we learn that the husband failed to disclose shareholder distributions to himself as part of his income, he expensed his entire home mortgage, and he did not disclose a host of perquisites. Ultimately, we successfully argue that dad earned $220,000 and child and spousal support are calculated accordingly.\u00a0Our recommendation for the client to engage a forensic expert was money well spent.Forensic Accountants Provide Expert Testimony in Court ProceedingsOne of the important aspects of a forensic accountant\u2019s role in a divorce is to provide expert testimony to the court. Sometimes each party hires a forensic accountant and both experts provide testimony to the court. If you are faced with a situation in which you believe your spouse is hiding assets or income, you need an unbiased and objective analysis of the financial information. This is critical to ensuring that the distribution of assets is fair and equitable for both parties. A forensic accountant will work with the attorneys and the court to provide information and expert testimony that will assist with the final determination of the division of assets.If you are faced with a divorce, or a child support or alimony case, where your spouse does not disclose what you think is their accurate amount of income or you expect them to not be forthright about their income,\u00a0contact\u00a0our family law attorneys at\u00a0616-285-0808\u00a0to schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss our services."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why We Often Work With Forensic Accountants","item":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/why-we-often-work-with-forensic-accountants\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]