Alimony

Historically, alimony is most often paid by a husband to a wife. However, with the increasing number of stay-at-home fathers, it is becoming increasingly more common for wives to pay alimony to their stay-at-home husbands.

Rehabilitative Alimony – paid to a spouse for a period of time to provide financial support while he or she is getting training or going to school. Most often this is paid to a spouse who has been home taking care of the household and/or children at the expense of their own education and career. 

Permanent Alimony – payment to a former spouse on a continuous basis for the remainder of his or her life.

In the State of Georgia, there is no set way to determine the duration or amount of alimony.  If the parties cannot reach an agreement on their own, the issue will be decided by the court. There are several factors that come into consideration by the court when deciding how much alimony and the length of time it is to be paid. Some of the factors include:

• Length of marriage
• Age of parties
• Marital misconduct
• Financial situations of each party
• Earning potential of each party

Unless there has been a waiver of modification included in the settlement agreement, alimony can be adjusted up or down over the course of the agreed-upon time frame. 

Marital infidelity prohibits the offending party from receiving alimony in the State of Georgia. 

Due to the myriad of issues that impact alimony, you should seek the services of an experienced Georgia divorce attorney to make sure that your rights are protected. This is one of the reasons why the question of alimony is best addressed with the representation of an experienced Atlanta divorce lawyer.

If you would like to learn more about alimony and spousal maintenance, contact us today for a free consultation.