During a divorce, you may be ordered to pay alimony. The alimony might be decided on a variety of factors, including income level and personal finances. Since access to finances and general expenses can all change over the course of a person’s life, it’s natural to want to make changes to your alimony agreement. Thankfully, it is possible to change alimony agreements after a divorce has been settled.
What conditions would lead to alimony being changed?
Sometimes, life events make it hard to afford alimony payments as well as support yourself. Other times, you might want to ask for a new court order because your former spouse doesn’t need the alimony payment anymore.
California family law courts all account for changes like this. However, the key to getting a new court order is asking for the new alimony change immediately. Putting off the court order to change your alimony payment can hurt your case in the long run. If you lost your job or suspect that your former spouse doesn’t need alimony anymore but you wait to bring it up three months after the fact, the divorce court might not grant your order.
What if your ex-spouse is okay with the alimony change?
There’s always the chance that you and your former spouse are amicable and can agree to new terms yourself. However, even in those cases, it’s better to protect yourself with a statement signed by a judge. A signed court order or alimony modification can save you down the line if something happens between you and your former spouse. This court order will also protect your former spouse in the case of future modifications.
All divorces have unique circumstances, so you may need professional help understanding how the law applies to your case. Consider reaching out to a divorce attorney before asking for an alimony adjustment.