The idea behind spousal support (also called alimony) is to provide a lower-earning or non-working spouses with the support needed to get back on their feet financially after divorce. In Massachusetts divorce cases, alimony is not guaranteed. Moreover, unlike child support, there are no guidelines or calculators to help determine the amount of alimony to be paid or received. Family court judges use their discretion to decide each case individually. When the court awards alimony, it is usually temporary, with a settled end date.

Factors in Determining Massachusetts Spousal Support

A family court judge will consider numerous factors when making a determination about alimony. Some of these factors include:

• Length of the marriage; the shorter the marriage, the shorter the time period for receiving alimony might be
• Age of the spouses: is one spouse is approaching retirement?
• Whether there are children at home
• The ability of the spouses to become financially independent—whether they have worked before and their earning potential
• Education of each spouse
• Whether a spouse is disabled or chronically ill
• Whether a spouse is cohabiting with a third party
• Contributions (both economic and non-economic) made by the parties during the marriage
• The lifestyle the parties enjoyed during the marriage and whether they can maintain it after the divorce

Our Bristol County alimony lawyers can help you understand Massachusetts spousal support laws and how they might apply in your situation, whether alimony is likely to be ordered, and if so, for how long. Our legal team advises clients who hope to receive or prevent an alimony award. If spouses are fighting over alimony, our attorneys can represent them in court.

Modifying Alimony/Spousal Support in Massachusetts

As with child support, the law allows people to seek modifications to alimony awards in cases involving factors like these:

• Job loss or other change to employment status that results in a lower salary
• Remarriage
• Cohabitation
• Relocation
• Onset of illness or disability

Factors like these can result in either an increase or decrease in alimony paid or received, depending on which party is affected.

Call Anchor Family Law in Seekonk at 508-557-1138 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.