During the divorce process, spouses have many decisions to make. This can include decisions about their family, their possessions or even their money. They may have to split time with their children with their other spouse. Some spouses need financial support after divorce. This is to help them maintain a standard of living to get back on their feet. During a marriage, one spouse may have had the role of being a caretaker for the children, which leaves them without an opportunity to have a well-paying job to support them. They may need time to work toward career or job that can provide them with the proper compensation.
Spousal support laws have changed to no longer allow for the financial compensation to be permanent. Depending on the situation, there may be cause to alter the alimony payments or stop them all together. There are four types of categories that spousal support can be broken into. Open durational alimony is a change of the former permanent alimony. This type of payment is for couples who have been married for over 20 years. When this category is decided upon, there is no specific end date set. However, that does not mean it can never end. Modifications and adjustments can be made to open durational alimony. Factors that can influence the payments include the remarriage of the dependent spouse, cohabitation, the payor spouse becoming disabled or unemployed or the dependent spouse becoming financially independent.
Limited duration alimony is for couples that have been married for less than 20 years. New Jersey law states that the alimony payments should be made for a specific period of time that does not exceed the length of the marriage. However, there are grounds that can modify or terminate the length of time and amount of money that is included in this category.
Rehabilitative alimony is designed for situations in which the dependent spouse is found to have deferred their career goals in support of the other party’s success and for the benefit of the family. This form of payment requires funds to pay for schooling or vocational training for the dependent spouse to increase their earning capacity. Reimbursement alimony is a structure of support that includes funds to reimburse one spouse for having financially supported the other spouse’s pursuit of an education or vocational training during the marriage.
If you require strong legal representation for matters of divorce and family law in New Jersey, contact The Law Offices of Paone, Zaleski & Murphy to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys today.
