How to Lower Your Florida Alimony Payment

Alimony, or spousal support, is one of the most litigated matters in a Florida divorce. A fight over alimony can be both emotionally and financially devastating. Many spouses are concerned that once divorce is imminent, the other side will ask for an unrealistic support amount or that the judge will award a completely unrealistic amount.

This will not always be the case, but it is important to be prepared and take steps to try and reduce your potential alimony payments before you go to court. A Boca Raton alimony and spousal support attorney can help prepare you and also give you an idea of what the court is likely to award, based on your individual circumstances.

Situations Where You May Not Pay Alimony at All

There are some situations where you could wind up not paying alimony at all. Some couples assume that the man is always the one ordered to pay alimony and child support with every divorce, but this is not true at all. Here are several situations where you may not have to pay any alimony to your ex at all:

• You earn less than your spouse — the court looks at the income of both spouses. If your ex earns significantly more than you and is the one asking for alimony, there’s a chance the court will not award any. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but in many cases, the court will not award financial support to the higher wage earner in the marriage.
• Your marriage was short-lived — only married for a year? The court is not likely to award alimony to the other spouse, but rather will restore them to the same financial condition he or she had prior to the marriage. He or she shouldn’t become more financially comfortable just because he or she married you for a short amount of time.

Potential Ways to Reduce Your Alimony

If alimony was awarded, you need to look at potential ways you can reduce or terminate it if need be. Start by reading through your divorce decree very carefully. There may be a clause that talks about circumstances that would allow you to have alimony reduced or terminated completely. Perhaps you lost your long-time employment? Or your ex has started living with a significant other full-time. Both of these have the potential to lower or completely eliminate the alimony award.

You can also try speaking to your ex. If you are on good terms, and it’s been awhile since the award was granted, he or she might be more understanding as to why you need your alimony payment reduced. Perhaps you suffered a disabling injury that has left you unable to work like you were when the divorce was finalized. Maybe your ex received a promotion at work and doesn’t need the same level of support.

You may need to file a motion to have your alimony payment reduced through a change of circumstances. Your Boca Raton family law attorney can advise you if your circumstances qualify for a potential modification.

Contact a Florida Alimony Lawyer

If you have questions or need assistance getting an alimony award reduced, contact the Law Offices of Schwartz | White today to schedule an initial consultation.

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