Alimony Spousal Support and Marriage Length

How Does Marriage Length Influence Alimony/Spousal Support in California?

Alimony Spousal Support and Marriage Length

One of the most important factors in determining alimony is the length of the partnership. In many cases, the marriage is far too short to merit awarding alimony according to California Law. The length of the relationship will also factor in closely to the duration of the support order. The length of the relationship in this case is the day you were married until the date you separated. If you disagree about when you officially separated, the judge will have to determine the date.

The goal of alimony, in most cases, is to allow the partner who is receiving support to maintain their living expenses while they work to be able to be self-supporting after the order ends.

Is there a certain amount of time that guarantees alimony?
No, there simply isn’t. No support order may be ordered even for some very long marriages, depending on other factors.
How long will the support order last? 
The law says that support should last for a reasonable period of time, generally, this is about one half the length of the marriage relationship. Other factors may lengthen or shorten this period of time.
Is there an upper limit to how long alimony can last?
In some cases, alimony can last indefinitely. If a marriage is designated by the judge as “long term,” the judge may elect to write a support order that has no end date. Typically, only a marriage longer than ten years in length will be considered long term.
In any case, the determination of alimony in California is complicated and there is no one size fits all formula to see what will happen in your circumstance. You will need to talk to an experienced divorce lawyer to see how much you may be eligible to receive or may owe.

Do you have a divorce or family law question?

Call our office today. John A. Bledsoe is Orange County’s premier divorce attorney and a certified family law specialist. Our firm offers a confidential initial case evaluation. Call (949) 363-5551 to learn more.

Content note: This blog is made available by the law firm publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the Blog/Web Site publisher. The Blog/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

THE BLEDSOE FIRM | LAW OFFICES OF JOHN A. BLEDSOE | (949) 363-5551

23101 Lake Center Dr, Suite 310, Lake Forest, CA 92630

© 2018 LAW OFFICES OF JOHN A. BLEDSOE | FAMILY LAW EXPERTS

logo-footer

STAY CONNECTED WITH US: