Sacramento Attorneys Providing Guidance About Alimony
Divorce can bring sudden changes to your finances. When one spouse earns significantly more than the other or when one person was not part of the workforce during the marriage, those changes can make it difficult for them to meet their needs.
At Bartholomew & Wasznicky LLP, in Sacramento, our team understands the financial struggles that can arise during divorce. Our family law attorneys help clients throughout Northern California make informed decisions during the divorce process and reach fair resolutions that protect their financial health. Whether you need the assistance that spousal support can provide or your spouse has requested support from you, our lawyers will use their more than 125 combined years of experience to help you reach a fair arrangement.
Will Spousal Support Be A Part Of Your Life After Divorce?
Spousal support – sometimes referred to as alimony – is support paid by one person to their former spouse after a divorce. These support payments can be a temporary part of their lives financially while the receiving spouse transitions to the next phase of their life or while they work to reenter the workforce. In some cases, spousal support can be a long-term arrangement.
California courts determine whether to grant spousal support, the amount of those support payments and how long support will last based on the specifics of each spouse’s needs and financial situation. The factors that judges consider include:
- The ability of the paying person to provide the requested support
- How long the marriage lasted
- The contributions of the receiving spouse to the marriage, including the nonmonetary contributions they made when staying home to raise children and contributions they made to the paying spouse’s future earning capacity
- The amount of time and training that the receiving person would need to become self-supporting
- The age and health of each person
- Each spouse’s needs
- The standard of living that the couple had during their marriage
- The debts, assets and income of both the person paying support and the person receiving support
The court can also consider other relevant factors in spousal support decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions Answered By Sacramento Alimony Lawyers
People hear all kinds of misinformation about alimony – but it is far better to get your information directly from a California spousal support attorney. Here are some of the questions our team hears most often:
What happens when spousal support isn’t paid?
A spousal support order is enforceable like any other court order. Most of the time, an earnings assignment (income withholding order) is sent directly to the paying spouse’s employer so that the payments can be taken from their wages.
If the paying spouse does not have a regular employer or there is a direct-pay agreement, the penalties for nonpayment can be fierce. Failure to pay can lead to a suspended driver’s license, suspended professional licenses, asset seizure, liens on their property, seizure of any tax refunds and more. It can also lead to a contempt of court citation and jail.
When can I stop paying alimony in California?
If your marriage lasted 10 years or less, you may be ordered to pay spousal support for half the length of your marriage (or considerably less). Marriages that last more than 10 years are considered “long-term,” and the support may be indefinite. However, many factors have to be considered, not the least of which is your ability to pay and your former spouse’s actual need, which is why it is critical to have an experienced Sacramento alimony lawyer on your side.
What happens to spousal support if one party moves out of state?
Moving across state lines does not automatically change an alimony obligation. The spousal support order is enforceable no matter where the payor or recipient lives.
Once you schedule your initial consultation, you can ask any additional questions you may have and get answers from a California spousal support attorney that are tailored to the specifics of your situation.
Contact Us For Personalized Guidance
Your financial needs are unique, and you deserve guidance tailored to your specific situation as you work toward a resolution that supports you. To learn more about spousal support in California please, call Bartholomew & Wasznicky at 916-603-2913 or reach out in an email to schedule a free consultation.