The end of a marriage can greatly impact finances, especially for spouses who were dependent on their partner throughout their relationship. That’s why sometimes one of them might receive continuous financial support after the fact to fulfill their and their child’s needs.

Like what happened in this family, where the ex-husband paid child support and alimony to help financially support his wife and kid. That is, until the ex-wife found a boyfriend and he moved in. Then he was able to end the alimony payments, which majorly pissed her off.

Scroll down to find the full story and a conversation with New York Divorce Attorney, Kristen D. Farris, Esq., who kindly agreed to tell us more about spousal support after divorce.

Divorce can greatly impact finances. That’s why some spouses continue to receive financial support after their marriage is over

Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)

Unfortunately, this woman lost hers when her boyfriend moved in and her ex-husband found out about it

Image credits: astreltsova (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Key-Dot-8409

10% of divorces in the U.S. involve alimony

“Alimony is a key part of a divorce where the non-monied spouse is dependent on the income of their spouse,” says New York Divorce Attorney, Kristen D. Farris, Esq.

“The party who makes significantly more is the person who mainly supports the household. Once the parties separate, you’re usually taking 1 income supporting 1 family to 1 income supporting 2 households. It’s hard for both parties. Hard for the payor, who would otherwise have to figure out how to live without that extra income and hard for the person receiving it, because they now have to figure out how to survive on only a little bit of money.”

Alimony can make all the difference in a divorced parent’s life, especially if they relied on their partner and had no income of their own throughout the relationship. The additional money helps to maintain the lifestyle they were used to before the marriage ended. 

“The point of alimony is to avoid forcing one spouse to have to suddenly fend for themselves when they either haven’t worked or only worked a little. That spouse may have also dedicated years of their lives to the household and family, including child rearing, and now they’re thrown into the workforce with little to no experience, while their spouse was able to move forward with their career,” Farris further explains.

However, it’s not often that a spouse is awarded alimony by the court, as only 10% of divorces in the U.S. involve spousal support. The statistics reflect the selective nature of alimony. It’s typically awarded when there’s a significant disparity between spouses’ earnings. 

Even though alimony was ruled gender-neutral in 1979, more women than men receive spousal support. In 2010, it was reported that 12,000 men received alimony compared to 380,000 women. However, due to evolving gender roles, the trend is changing, and the number of women paying alimony is slowly increasing. From 2000 to 2010, it was noticed that the number of men receiving alimony grew by 0.5%. 

“While some women are making more money than men nowadays, some men refuse to accept the support, thinking they can support themselves. Also, men still tend to make more than women,” says Farris, explaining the alimony gap between men and women.

However, it’s worth mentioning tthat there’s no shame in accepting alimony when a person needs it. Spousal support is specifically designed to keep partners afloat when finances that were intimately tied with spouses are suddenly being torn apart in divorce. 

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

“Spousal support plays an important role in adjusting to life post-divorce”

How much a divorcee is paid can differ quite a lot. The law offices of Edgar & Dow in California explain it like this: “Take 40% of the greater-earning spouse’s net monthly income and subtract half of the lesser-earning spouse’s net monthly income from it. That final number is the amount of alimony that the lower-earning spouse will likely receive. It is up to the judge to decide if more or less is deserved.”

The payment can also depend on other factors, like the duration of the marriage, the basic needs of each spouse, occurrences of domestic violence, the ability to pay alimony, and the ability to secure a job while taking care of children. 

The alimony length can also vary due to the court’s decision. On top of that, it can be susceptible to change if either party’s financial circumstances shift. The agreement can be terminated as well if the receiver starts cohabitating with someone or remarries.

“A lot of times, the person who is getting the support will not get remarried until they stop receiving alimony on purpose- just to avoid losing their alimony payments,” notes Farris.

“Spousal support plays an important role in adjusting to life post-divorce,” writes FindLaw. So if a person considers divorce and needs additional financial support or feels like they can’t reach a mutual agreement, they should speak to a family law attorney, who can help navigate this situation. 

Image credits: Kaboompics (not the actual photo)

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