Taylor Swift may say she is never, ever, ever getting back together. Other couples are willing to give it a shot. So how does reconciling with your ex affect your legal rights? This is one area of Family Law where the outcome can change dramatically depending on whether you are married or de facto. In some cases, a reconciliation has no impact on the final outcome. In other cases, it’s the dealbreaker of whether you are eligible for a financial settlement or not.

If you are married, it can change the date you can apply for divorce. If you reconciled for less than three months, the date you can apply for divorce is extended by the amount of time you were separated. If you reconciled for more than three months, then your 12 month separation period starts all over again. Whether or not the reconciliation affects your property rights will depend on many things, like how long you were apart, when you got back together and whether you legally divorced in the meantime.

A de facto couple has two years after separation to apply to the Court for a financial settlement (with some exceptions). Your intervening separation can affect not just how much you receive, but IF you are still eligible at all.