alimoney

If you are on the giving end of an alimony settlement, then you may find it relatively unfair that you are financially responsible for someone with whom you are no longer together. But unless you have a skilled legal professional on your side, you may also be preventing your chances of ever freeing yourself of this responsibility, or at least reducing it significantly.

If you are required to pay alimony to your ex-spouse, read on to discover how a family law attorney can help lower the amount so that you can keep more for yourself:

Requesting the Modification of Alimony

During the process of a divorce, if you didn’t use the services of an adept lawyer, then you may have agreed to a less-than-ideal alimony settlement for which you are now responsible. In this situation though, all is not lost, as the laws regarding spousal maintenance allow you to request a modification of the amount, depending on a variety of circumstances that may affect you or your ex-spouse.

Changed Circumstances That Can Lead to Lower Alimony

Money Fight

Of course, your future is entirely undecided, and it is possible that circumstances will change, leading you to be unable to pay spousal support any longer. Some of these changed circumstances might include:

  • If you lose your job involuntarily, or if you see a large reduction in the wages you were receiving during the course of the divorce;
  • If you incur an injury or ailment that prevents you from working for a period of time;
  • If your ex-spouse marries a new partner, or even if your ex-spouse begins living with another individual for a certain period of time; or
  • If your ex-spouse begins to make more money than they did when the terms of the alimony agreement were set forth.

Any of these changed circumstances may allow you request a modification of your alimony agreement so that you are responsible for a smaller sum.

Showing Proof of Changed Circumstances

Often, in order to continue receiving spousal maintenance payments, the recipient spouse will attempt to hide the presence of any of these changed circumstances from the payer. By hiding the changed level of their income, or even by keeping secret a newly cohabitating partner, an ex-spouse has the ability to receive constant alimony payments, as well as enjoy the new conditions that have entered their lives.

If you suspect your ex-spouse of being deceitful about certain factors in their life then, you may need to seek proof in order to shed light on the situation. And to do so, using the services of a skilled family law attorney can be invaluable to your cause. A divorce and alimony lawyer can aid in the investigative process, help you secure proof, and further request a modification in alimony payments by using the newfound information.

Alimony Doesn’t Need to Be Forever

Many payers of alimony fear that they may be forced to part with their money for the rest of their lives. But if you are one of these individuals, understand that working with an attorney can help you lower these payments, so that you can put your money towards something else.

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