Opinion ID: 2279007
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Daniel's Imputed Income

Text: [¶ 11] Faith contends that the court abused its discretion and committed clear error in imputing income to Daniel in the amount of $25,000 per year. [4] We review factual findings regarding a party's income for clear error. Carolan v. Bell, 2007 ME 39, ¶ 12, 916 A.2d 945, 948. [¶ 12] Daniel testified that at the time of the divorce hearing, he was earning $11.25 an hour and working twenty-five hours per week and that his income potential was $30,000-$32,000, but that he was not presently making that amount. He also testified that the last year that he and Faith were together, he made over $50,000 because he frequently worked double and triple shifts so that Faith could stay home with their daughter. The court found that Daniel's departure from that job did not result in voluntary underemployment because the hours of work and travel were difficult, and interfered with a reasonable family life. The court arrived at Daniel's imputed income by finding that Daniel was voluntarily underemployed by working twenty-five hours per week and assuming that he could work forty hours per week at $12 per hour for fifty-two weeks per year, and rounding up. [¶ 13] The court's finding that Daniel's imputed income was $12 an hour was not clearly erroneous because the rate was comparable with Daniel's skill set and work history. Because Daniel was employed only twenty-five hours a week at the time of the divorce hearing and had the ability to work more hours, the court did not commit clear error in finding that Daniel was voluntarily underemployed, and could work up to forty hours per week. Contrary to Faith's contention that Daniel's imputed income should be at least $50,000 based on his previous employment, the court acted within its discretion in considering Daniel's testimony that to earn $50,000 he had to work frequent double and triple shifts that interfered with his ability to spend reasonable time with his daughter. The court did not err in imputing Daniel's income at $12 an hour for a forty-hour work week.