The term permanent alimony is terrifying to many divorcing spouses who might be on the paying end of the deal. This is because the title indicates that a paying spouse will never be able to avoid permanent alimony, and will be required to pay it for the duration of his or her life.
In actuality, it is rare for an alimony ruling to be permanent. Permanent alimony usually can last no longer than half the length of the marriage. This means that if your marriage lasted five years, you will only need to pay your spouse alimony for two and a half years, even if it is termed "permanent" alimony.
If your marriage lasted over ten years, then a judge will consider various factors to determine how much alimony one spouse may pay to another. Alimony is for the purpose of helping one spouse that does not have financial means to get settled into the single life without falling below his or her standard of living as a married individual. Normally a judge will monitor the spouses and note the changes in their standard of living to determine whether or not the alimony should continue.
After a divorce is final, the alimony will continue as is stated in your marital settlement agreement. This is going to last until the settlement declares that it will be terminated. Most of the time alimony is conditional. This means that once a person can maintain a standard of living independently, the alimony payments may cease.
If you are a paying spouse and notice that your ex has been able to maintain a comfortable standard of living without your financial support, then you need to talk to an attorney today to learn more. With the right attorney on your side, you can contest or seek to modify permanent alimony! Talk to a San Fernando divorce lawyer at Cutter & Lax today to learn more!
