If you’ve been ordered to pay your ex alimony, then you may feel as if your obligation to pay is never going to end. This may especially be the case if you find yourself incapacitated by illness, newly remarried or unemployed.
Situations like this may make you feel as if the amount of alimony you were originally ordered to pay is burdensome. Fortunately, though, if you’ve successfully made payments as ordered for a certain period of time, then it’s quite possible to get your alimony payments reduced or eliminated.
In an at-will state like Florida, it seems like almost everyone has either been personally affected by unemployment or knows someone who is close to them that’s been affected. All too often, even if an individual qualifies for unemployment, the amount they receive may be a fraction of what they were accustomed to making. Finding another job may not be easy, and it may also offer inferior pay.
Depending on how significantly impacted your pay is, how long your unemployment’s lasted and how dismal your job prospects are, you may qualify for a reduction or elimination of your spousal support obligation.
You may also qualify for a reduction of your alimony payment obligation if you become seriously ill. In deciding the amount and the time frame for reduction of your spousal support obligation, a judge will take into account how old you are and whether your condition is temporary or chronic, as well as how your emotional and physical state impact your earning ability.
If you remarry or even simply move in with a significant other, then either one of these may also qualify you to have your spousal support payments reduced or eliminated. This may happen because a judge assumes there are additional individuals and expenses to take care of when you reside with a romantic partner. If your ability to pay basic expenses proves to be compromised by alimony, then a judge might order support payments to cease.Finally, as would be expected, alimony almost always goes away upon an individual’s death.
If continuing to pay alimony to your ex has become burdensome for you, then you may benefit from discussing options for seeking a spousal support reduction with a Fort Myers divorce attorney.
Source: FindLaw, “5 potential ways to reduce spousal suport,” Aditi Mukherji, accessed Sep. 21, 2017
