Is alimony going to be part of your pending Georgia divorce?

| Mar 19, 2020 | Family Law

Separating your finances from those of your former spouse can be one of the more difficult aspects of securing a divorce.

In certain situations, one spouse may have become completely financially dependent on the other, having spent months or even years out of the workforce. That means that even if they have skills or education, they will likely struggle to secure good work and competitive wages after the divorce.

Alimony, also known as spousal support or spousal maintenance, can be an ideal way to facilitate the financial separation of spouses during and after a divorce.

The longer the marriage and the break from work outside the home, the greater the need for alimony

The Georgia courts don’t automatically order alimony. The spouse worried about their own financial stability will have to request it. The courts will then consider multiple different factors when deciding whether to order alimony, how much alimony to order and how long to have the order last.

They must review the unique circumstances of the marriage, including its duration, the paid and unpaid contributions of each spouse, the current and likely future financial circumstances of the spouses and any health concerns or child custody issues that impact finances. The longer someone stayed married, the lengthier their break from the workforce and the closer they are to retirement age, the more likely it is that the courts will order alimony.