Alimony—Will I Pay?, When couples divorce, one person might be required to pay their former spouse a monthly fee called alimony.
Whether or not you have to pay depends on many factors. You should be as prepared as possible going into your divorce proceedings, so you know what to expect.
Many people assume that the former husband will be the payor.
With more women in the workforce and many earning as much as—or more than their spouses, this is not necessarily the case any longer.
If the wife made significantly more income than the husband throughout the marriage, the court can and sometimes does direct the wife to make alimony payments.
Alimony allows the recipient a chance to continue their previous quality of life while working to increase their earnings, if possible.
If the recipient is unable to earn more money, alimony can continue for many years.
Age, general health, length of the marriage, and the time the recipient needs to increase their earnings are all considerations in alimony amounts, as is the payor’s ability to pay.
However, it’s important to understand that the calculation isn’t solely based on the payor’s income at the time of divorce.
It is based on what the court deems as the potential earnings over the long-term of that spouse’s ability to make alimony payments.
So while you might not be earning a lot when you divorce, or even if you are unemployed, if the court expects you will earn more at a later time, alimony payments may be based on projected earnings.
Typically, alimony is “rehabilitative,” meaning for a limited time.
It ends when the former spouse receiving the payment gets remarried, or if the minor children reach the legal age of 18.
If one spouse dies, the payments might also cease, though that is not guaranteed.
The recipient is required by the court to make efforts (if they are capable of doing so) to obtain employment and/or better pay.
Courts can appoint a “vocational evaluator” to assist the recipient in finding suitable work.
Alimony payments should not be ignored. Refusing to pay can result in jail time.
If you are unsure of your options, or are trying to determine whether or not you will pay or receive alimony in your divorce proceedings, Click Here to contact FL Legal Group or call 1-800-984-9951 for a consultation.