When you are going through divorce proceedings with your spouse, one issue that might concern you is alimony payments. Alimony is essentially a form of spousal support, which requires that a specific amount of money is paid to a spouse after the divorce is finalized. Alimony payments can be required for many different reasons, and once a judge decides that alimony payments are required, these payments will continue until specific life events happen. Here is the essential information you should know about paying alimony.

When Alimony Won't Need To Be A Paid

Paying alimony should not be assumed during a divorce, since the court won't approve alimony in some situations. The first one is when the marriage was very short. Every state has their own standards for the minimum length of a marriage before alimony payments can be approved by the court. If both spouses had similarly paying jobs, it is also possible that alimony will not be required.

Who Requests Alimony

It's important to know that alimony will not be automatically suggested by the court during divorce proceedings. If a spouse makes considerably less money than the other, or one spouse was unemployed during the marriage, they can make a request to receive alimony. If your spouse doesn't want to receive alimony, the court will not award it to them.

Expect to see alimony granted if it was a long marriage and your spouse became accustomed to a specific type of lifestyle due to a difference in income.

How Long Will Alimony Payments Will Last

Alimony payments are not indefinite, since certain life events can trigger the stoppage of payments. The most common situation is if your spouse remarries, since they will now have an additional income source to provide them with financial support. Your spouse getting a better paying job can also stop the need for receiving alimony. A judge also has an option to set a time limit on the maximum length that alimony payments will be made.

How Much Will Alimony Will Be

A judge will make a decision about how much alimony payments will be, which is typically based on your income for the year before getting divorced. If your income decreases because of a new job, you will still be liable for making those large alimony payments unless you go back to court and request to make smaller payments that are based on the smaller salary.

Still have questions about alimony? Speak to a family lawyer and request a consultation.