Alimony, also known as spousal maintenance, can help to make the financial outcome of divorce as fair as possible. Spouses with limited earning potential who may have made sacrifices for the family can rely on alimony or maintenance payments as they rebuild their careers and establish independent households.
Typically, Kentucky spousal maintenance orders include a specific amount of maintenance and clear instructions regarding the duration of the payments. Sometimes, it is possible to modify maintenance orders after a significant change in circumstances.
Does remarriage justify the reduction or termination of spousal maintenance?
Some maintenance terminations are automatic
An order of spousal maintenance is typically indicative of one spouse’s dependence on the other. If they remarry, their new spouse should provide them with the financial support that they previously obtained from the party paying their maintenance.
It is standard for spousal maintenance to automatically end when the recipient spouse remarries. If the paying spouse remarries, that does not necessarily eliminate their obligation to provide financial support for the recipient spouse.
Remarriage is not the only scenario in which the courts may reduce or terminate maintenance obligations. If the recipient spouse begins cohabitating with a new romantic partner, that may warrant a review and modification of the maintenance order. Drastic changes in either spouse’s finances or health could also necessitate a review of the order.
Learning more about social maintenance can help people recognize when they may be in a position to reduce their ongoing financial obligations after a divorce. The remarriage of the recipient spouse leads to the automatic termination of maintenance, and other scenarios may justify either spouse requesting a modification hearing in family court.
