When you finalize your divorce agreement, spousal support or alimony is a part of that. It’s decided who is going to pay who, how much will be paid, and for how long. However, sometimes circumstances change and the old agreement really does not hold up due to recent life events. This is when you can ask for an agreement to be modified. Our Morris County, NJ alimony modification attorneys can help you with this.
Can Alimony Agreements Be Modified If My Spouse Remarries?
One of the best reasons to have an alimony agreement modified is the change in the marital status of your ex. Once your ex has remarried, you should not be responsible for supporting them. Their new spouse should have this covered.
If your former spouse is living with someone else, then you also may be able to ask for a change to your spousal support agreement. If your ex is living with a partner and they share expenses and property, then you can probably make the case that they are cohabitating. This should allow you to change or end your current alimony agreement, even though your ex has not actually married anyone else.
What Other Reasons Can an Agreement Be Modified For?
There are other good reasons to ask for a spousal support agreement to be modified. Some common ones include:
A change in employment status: If the paying spouse loses their job, a temporary change to an alimony agreement can be made.
Illness: If the paying spouse is too ill to work and burdened by medical bills, that can certainly change the spousal support calculations.
Retirement: A paying spouse still has the right to retire. This can serve as a valid reason to reduce the amount of spousal support payments.
A change in the receiving spouse’s economic circumstances: The receiving spouse could receive a big raise or get a new job that makes them less dependent on alimony, and that could allow a paying spouse to ask for a modification or an end to the agreement.
When Can I Stop Paying Spousal Support?
You can stop paying your spousal support when the court tells you to. Do not stop paying just because you think that your ex is cohabitating with someone or start paying less because you think there’s a good reason to reduce your current alimony amount. If you take these kinds of actions on your own, you’re just going to get in trouble with the court and end up being forced to make those back payments anyway. Just wait until the court makes a decision, even if you think that you have an open-and-shut case.
Contact Our Family Lawyers
If you believe that you have a good reason to ask for an alimony modification, contact Townsend, Tomaio & Newmark, L.L.C. We can set up a consultation and our legal team will take the time to hear you out. If we think that you have a good reason to ask for a change to your spousal support agreement, we’ll help you make your case to a judge.
