Spousal support, commonly called alimony, often causes contention in divorce proceedings. The judge may order one spouse to pay the other spouse a monthly payment for a specified time period. Before moving forward with a divorce, understand the spousal support process...
Alimony
The role of life or disability insurance in alimony
When California spouses have unequal incomes or earning potential, a divorce court order might include spousal support. This might result in a permanent obligation for one former spouse to pay the other former spouse or a temporary support arrangement known as...
Courts have wide discretion regarding alimony
The way alimony is determined in California is different than the way child support is determined. In deciding on the specifics of spousal support, the court has wide discretion. Courts might consider factors like the emotional state, financial condition, physical...
Alimony, child support and bankruptcy
If parents in California are struggling to keep up with child support and alimony payments, they are not permitted to discharge those debts in bankruptcy. The wages of a parent who does not pay child support could be garnished. The parent's credit could also be...
Handling alimony after tax law changes
People planning to file for divorce may be particularly concerned about the financial impact of the end of their marriage. This can be especially true for couples with a high-asset divorce and significant income, as spousal support and alimony may be a factor in the...
The ramifications of tax reform on alimony
If an individual signs a divorce agreement or similar document after 2018, he or she may not get a tax deduction on alimony payments. That may have a significant impact on divorce agreements in California and throughout the country. For the past 75 years, alimony...
Alimony deduction may be on the chopping block
One part of the proposed tax reform legislation that may impact some people in California is the proposal to do away with the alimony deduction. Under this proposal, people who are ordered to pay alimony to their ex-spouses would no longer be able to claim their...
David Hasselhoff moves to stop spousal support to ex-wife
On Sept. 18, actor David Hasselhoff reportedly asked a California judge to end the alimony payments he was required to make to his ex-wife. He had reportedly been making monthly payments of $21,000 to his ex-wife from 2006 to 2016 when those payments were cut down to...
Alimony, child support and taxes
Alimony and child support payments are parts of many California divorce decrees, and they may represent significant ongoing expenses. To help reduce the overall costs, alimony payments can be considered tax deductible, but child support payments are not. It is...
Alimony impacts ability to get mortgage in California
When a person is considering purchasing a new home, they might not be aware that receiving or paying alimony can impact their ability to get a mortgage. Lenders have to look at a person's whole financial history before making a decision on whether to award the...