When the divorce negotiations start, one of the sticking points is often alimony. Maybe it was addressed in your prenup. If so, good for you. It’s one fight that won’t have to play out. However, if you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse are miles apart when it comes to agreeing on the amount and duration of alimony payments, you could be in for a longer divorce.
For some exes, it seems very unfair that once the marriage is over, they have to pay at least a portion of the lifestyle choices and daily living costs for their ex-spouses. Even though the divorce is final, sometimes those alimony payments can go on indefinitely.
In Colorado, changes in the alimony laws just went into effect in January 2014. Now, guidelines have been established to determine the amount and duration of alimony, which means that judges will now have guidelines to go by. Judges will also retain their discretion to order a different amount of support, though, too.
Most state laws regarding spousal support, including Colorado, take into consideration several other bits of information when determining alimony, including child care costs, health insurance, any instances of domestic violence and the religious, educational and activity needs of the children.
The best thing to do when it comes to alimony is to work out the amount and duration of alimony payments with your soon-to-be ex-spouse. This may help keep the alimony from become a payment that is simply too high for the one parent and too low for the other.
Your experienced divorce and family law attorney can provide more information about spousal support in Colorado.
Source: Huffington Post, “Divorce Confidential: Alimony — Are You On The Hook?,” Caroline Choi, Nov. 13, 2015
