What to Do When One Spouse Takes Advantage of Alimony
When a relationship is dissolved, alimony is determined by a number of factors. The amount of alimony that one spouse has to pay to another can be determined by gross income such as wages, benefits, dividends from investments, and any similar sources of income that one party gathers through their various interests. In some cases, alimony is a permanent payment through various circumstances, but in most cases, alimony will be paid until the spouse receiving the payment can find gainful employment.
In many cases, it might be a fair bit of time before your ex-spouse can find a job capable of supporting themselves. In your marriage, it may have been their responsibility to stay home and take care of the house or the children. This means after the divorce, they might not have any work skills. Sometimes they need to go through vocational training or even college in order to rejoin the workforce and receive a liveable wage.
However, what if they aren't trying?
It is no surprise that some divorcees find alimony to be a pretty sweet deal, and when you have a good thing, why give it up? However, for the person paying out alimony, the situation is less than ideal. If a spouse is obviously not making effort to seek employment so alimony can end, what options do you have?
In most cases, temporary alimony has a time limit. A judge will deem how long vocational training or college will take and state that alimony will need to be paid for that long, and afterward the spouse is on their own. However, if there is no set time limit, you can always gather your evidence and appear before the court. If it is substantial enough, your payments may end that very day.
If you suspect that your ex-spouse is abusing alimony payments, contact us today. We can help talk you through your options to make sure that you aren't taken for a ride.