noun
definition
A court-mandated allowance made to a former spouse by a divorced or legally separated person.
synonyms
definition
The means to support life.
Examples of alimony in a Sentence
After losing his job, he contacted his lawyer to request that his alimony payments to his ex-wife be reduced.
In general, if a spouse has been dependent of the other, a judge will award alimony to him or her.
In addition, if both child support and alimony payments are ordered, a deduction will be made from the gross income used in the second support calculation to reflect the amount of maintenance already scheduled to be paid.
She was worried about how to make ends meet after the divorce, but alimony from her ex-husband provided a financial cushion until she was able to go find work.
Alimony is financial support paid by one spouse to the other as part of a separation agreement or divorce judgment.
Permanent alimony is only awarded in certain situations.
About 80,000 went in payments on all the estates to the Land Bank, about 30,000 went for the upkeep of the estate near Moscow, the town house, and the allowance to the three princesses; about 15,000 was given in pensions and the same amount for asylums; 150,000 alimony was sent to the countess; about 70,000 went for interest on debts.
Decide on temporary child support, custody, and/or alimony.
When the judge needs to calculate the rate of alimony payments, he or she considers the length of the marriage, as well as how likely it is that the spouse receiving the payments will be able to become self-supporting.
The question of who qualifies for alimony is not an easy one to answer.
If, after separation, one party's standard of living is significantly lower than during the marriage, the Court may order that alimony be paid so that he or she can continue to enjoy the same standard of living as while married.
Is it my consumer spending that's the problem rather than debt that I couldn't help (alimony, child support, medical costs)?
It is not the same as alimony, which is a payment that is intended to compensate someone who was economically dependant upon his/her spouse for the majority of the marriage.
For example, if you've been a stay-at-home mom for the majority of your marriage, you may want alimony or a portion of your husband's pension plan.
This is a good time to bring up your concerns relating to custody, alimony, visitation, child support, and other key issues of your divorce.
New York divorce laws let spouses end their marriage and decide on important issues such as dividing property, providing alimony, child custody, support, and visitation.
If the spouses have no children from the marriage and agree on the important terms in the New York divorce case, such as property division and alimony, then the court will grant an uncontested divorce.
The Court awards alimony after considering the spouses' financial situation, earning capacity, income, and the circumstances of the marriage.
How much, if any, alimony or spousal support will be paid?
This term was originally used by a Florida court in 1932 as a means to award alimony to a wife who had been unfaithful to her husband.
Under the provisions of the law in effect at that time, an adulterous wife could not be awarded alimony.
When a change in financial circumstances occurs, it is possible to file an application for reduction of alimony.
The amount of alimony payable may be reduced if there has been a "substantial change in circumstances."
If you are currently making alimony payments, you need to continue making your payments until a judge makes a ruling otherwise.
The first step in an application for reduction of alimony is complete a form to petition the Court to modify the amount of alimony to be paid.
A form of constructive services is where an ad is placed in the newspaper for a specific number of days advising the Respondent that legal action is being taken to vary the amount of alimony to be paid.
If the Petitioner is successful in his or her application for reduction of alimony, then the judge will change the amount of alimony to be paid.
A Supplemental Final Judgment Modifying Alimony will be signed by the judge.
As you can see, there are several steps involved in making an application for reduction in alimony.
The only way that the amount of alimony can be changed is if a judge signs an order to that effect.
If you want to calculate alimony payments or spousal support, it's not as easy as you think.
Unlike child support payments, there isn't a specific formula or alimony payment calculator you can enter information into to produce an approximate amount.
A judge will look at the financial situation and lifestyle of both you and your spouse to calculate alimony payments.
How much each spouse earns has the biggest effect on alimony payments.
Longer marriages usually result in higher alimony payments.
Some couples opt to calculate alimony payments themselves instead of using a judge.
In the alimony section of the divorce settlement, you may find it beneficial to state when spousal support will end.
No matter if you are the requestor or the payer of spousal support, it is important you know how to calculate alimony payments.
Most states do not have the same kinds of guidelines about alimony that are in place for child support payments, and a judge will need to determine what the rate of alimony payments should be.
This type of alimony is usually reserved for times when the couple were married for a long time and one spouse was out of the workforce to raise children and look after the home.
Temporary alimony will be ordered as a way to compensate the recipient for contributing to the other spouse's business or so that he or she could get established in a career.
This form of alimony may also be ordered to allow the recipient to remain in the home to care for a child up to a certain age.
The rate of alimony payments will depend on the payer's financial situation.
If there is a large gap in income between the spouses, it is more likely that the judge will order that alimony should be paid.
Once a determination has been made regarding child support and other expenses involved in raising children, then the question of whether alimony is appropriate is brought forward.
Income and expenses for both spouses are examined to determine whether there is a financial need for alimony and if the other spouse has the means to pay.
The spouse considering a request for alimony will need to factor in their present and future financial needs in order to make a decision about whether to proceed.
Many factors are taken into account when a judge is asked to make a ruling about whether spousal support should be paid, and what the rate of alimony payments should be.
A number of factors are considered by the Court when deciding whether and for how long to award alimony.
Alimony, or maintenance, is financial support paid by one spouse (or former spouse) to the other.