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Will Alimony Be Part Of Your Divorce?

Chances are, during your marriage, one or the other of you has been somewhat financially dependent on the other. Both of you have also given up other possibilities of life directions for the sake of making a life together. Now that you are about to go your separate ways, a divorce judge may expect to see spousal support or alimony as part of your plan. The law does not support the notion that either spouse should be left unjustly destitute. Alimony is about resetting the financial balance, now that you will both be single once again.

At Watson Dalton LLC, our divorce attorneys help people negotiate fair, reasonable property division and alimony agreements. When spouses cannot agree, family law judges may order alimony and other features in a divorce decree. It is usually best for the two people involved to arrive at their own settlement agreement, which may include alimony.

Alimony, If Ordered, Is Typically Temporary

If you have been married for many decades and one spouse has largely been a homemaker, then alimony might be permanent, perhaps to be paid until retirement age. But if your marriage has been short or of a moderate length, your alimony might be part of a transition phase.

Four common types of alimony in Massachusetts are as follows:

  • Support to be paid over a length of time that depends on how long the marriage has lasted. This is known as general term alimony.
  • Support to be paid while the financially dependent spouse gets job training or otherwise becomes self-sufficient. This is known as rehabilitative alimony.
  • Support to be paid for a suitable period of time to reimburse one spouse for support they gave the other, possibly during graduate school or while launching a business. This is known as reimbursement alimony.
  • Support to enable either spouse to become reestablished. This may be paid over time or provided as a one-time payment at the time of the divorce. It is known as transitional alimony.

Watch Out For Your Financial Health

Work with an experienced attorney to help ensure you don’t end up shortchanged regarding how much you receive, or end up having to pay an unfair amount of alimony. Also, if you have been paying spousal support and your ex-spouse is about to remarry, ask a lawyer about stopping your support payments.

Schedule a consultation to discuss your case with one of our experienced divorce attorneys. Call 978-346-5302 or send an email inquiry.