Financial issues are a concern for many people, including couples. If that couple is going through a divorce, the financial strain can seem a whole lot worse. Alimony, also known as spousal support, is a payment that is ordered by the court to give their spouse during, and sometimes after, the divorce process. If your spouse is dependent on you financially, you may be asked to pay them money. But how much money will you have to pay? How much is the spouse entitled to? To make things even more complicated, there are several types of alimony that are awarded in New Jersey that you may be facing. This article is to help give a brief overview of what to expect when dealing with alimony in New Jersey divorce cases.
Five Types of NJ Spousal Support
In the state of New Jersey, there are five types of alimony that a judge may award you:
- Limited Duration Alimony – This type of spousal support is self-explanatory in the name. This alimony is only paid for a certain amount of time to allow the spouse to become more self-sufficient and independent. This type of alimony will come with certain conditions which must be met, or the alimony will be terminated.
- Reimbursement Alimony – Spousal support of this type is for when the independent spouse helped the other immensely with an advanced education during the marriage, but never got to see the benefit of that spouse finishing the education before the divorce.
- Temporary Alimony – This is the only type of alimony that is possibly awarded while a divorce is still pending. Temporary alimony, or pendente lite alimony, is to help when one spouse is financially dependent on another to have funds to cover living expenses during the divorce process.
- Open Durational Alimony – While this type of spousal support is less common, this is the one that most divorcing couples are worried about. This type of alimony is awarded to couple who have been married for a long time and the dependent spouse is unable to become independent and self-sufficient. However, even this type of alimony can become terminated once the spouse has become financially independent.
- Rehabilitative Alimony – This type of alimony is for situations where the dependent spouse is about to undergo job training or education that will lead to a full-time job and an independent income. Very similar to temporary alimony, the court will give a specific time frame, any steps needed to keep the alimony, as well as proof of the education or job training.
Do I Qualify for Alimony?
In order to see who qualifies for alimony, and also how much spousal support is awarded, the court will need to look over various factors. To know if you qualify for spousal support depends greatly on these factors. I’ve gone over these in a previous blog article, Am I Entitled To Alimony (Spousal Support), and I highly recommend anyone who is unsure of their qualifications to read that blog article as well.
Can My Alimony Order Be Modified?
As long as the alimony agreement does not say in writing that it cannot be altered, yes, alimony can be modified. You can even argue for a modification if your spouse has a change in circumstances or has not shown the requirements needed for the type of alimony awarded. But in order to fight for a proper alimony modification, having a family law attorney on your side is in your best interest.
At the Law Office of Jennifer Marshall, Esq., I fight for my clients to make sure the alimony award is fair and just. Speaking with an experienced divorce lawyer will allow you to properly defend your financial freedoms and your current cost of living. Call our office today to begin your initial consultation and allow us to help you with your spousal support.
