Divorce Day Is Around the Corner — Here’s Why January Sees So Many Breakups

New year, new beginnings — and for some, that means saying goodbye to their relationship.

January, often called “Divorce Month,” has earned a reputation for being the peak season for breakups, with the first working Monday of the year famously dubbed Divorce Day. Every year, couples who struggled through the stress of the holiday season decide to make a clean break as they step into the new year. Searches for terms like “divorce no lawyer”, “DIY divorce,” “quickie divorce,” and “New York uncontested divorce” skyrocket in January, with inquiries for divorce lawyers jumping by 30%.

So, what makes January the breaking point?

Celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser told USA Today that the first few weeks of January are her busiest, as many couples hold off on splitting during the holidays to avoid disrupting family celebrations. After the festive chaos — complete with money woes, family tensions, and the pressure to create the “perfect Christmas” — January feels like the right time to reset.

Studies back this up, too. A 2016 uncontested divorce study by the University of Washington revealed a significant uptick in January uncontested divorce filings, while a 2020 divorce study from Richard Nelson LLP found that divorce-related searches more than doubled in the new year. Alberta Tevie, a solicitor at Richard Nelson, explains about uncontested divorce (sometimes called a no-fault divorce) that couples often “hang on for Christmas” for the sake of their kids or extended family, only to decide in January that enough is enough.

Psychotherapist Dr. Karen Phillip points out that the new year naturally leads people to reflect on their lives and set goals. If a relationship feels more like a burden, some see January as the perfect time to say, “I want a divorce. “People think about resolutions and how to improve their lives,” Phillip shared. “Sometimes the best improvement is freeing yourself from a toxic relationship.”

Looking for a fresh start? We The People can help you navigate the paperwork for a New York uncontested divorce with ease. Let’s make the new year your opportunity for a brighter future.