What Do I Need to Know About Alimony in GA?
Many of our clients come to us very stressed about either paying or receiving spousal maintenance (also known as alimony) as part of their divorce order. Below are some frequently asked questions about alimony in GA. To discuss your specific circumstances, reach out to our Georgia divorce attorneys directly.
What Exactly is Alimony?
Alimony consists of payments required by the court that one spouse makes to the other after a divorce. There are two kinds of alimony – permanent and rehabilitative. As you may have guessed, rehabilitative alimony is not permanent and is intended to help one spouse get on their feet after a divorce. Permanent alimony often goes on until the person receiving it passes away or remarries.
How Is Alimony Calculated?
Georgia Code Ga. § 19-6-5 specifies the factors that are considered in how much alimony is to be awarded:
- The court will consider how the couple lived during the marriage (big house vs. small apartment, things like that)
- The maturity (age), health, and overall condition of each spouse
- The finances of each spouse (earning power, career stability, education, work history, savings, investments)
- How long the couple was married
- How each party contributed to the relationship (unpaid labor like cooking and cleaning, for example)
- How long either spouse may need to complete their professional training or education
- Anything else the court feels is relevant, such as one person’s behavior causing the dissolution of the marriage (adultery, for example)
How Does Georgia’s Alimony Calculator Work?
This is kind of a trick question because GA does not have any standard formula to determine alimony amounts. Don’t be fooled by online alimony calculators. While the state does use a more standardized method of determining child support, it does not use any such method for determining spousal maintenance.
How Often Will I Pay Alimony?
Alimony payments are generally made monthly. In some cases, they could be quarterly or weekly. On occasion, the courts in Georgia do ask for a large one-time lump-sum alimony payment that satisfies the entire alimony order.
How Do I Make My Alimony Payments?
Often, in GA, your alimony payment will be garnished from your wages. What does that mean? A wage garnishment is when the state notifies your employee to automatically send a payment to them (in this case, to deduct your alimony payment from your paycheck before you receive it).
Can My Alimony Amount Be Modified?
Yes. Either spouse can petition the court to update a spousal maintenance agreement if circumstances substantially change. An example might be if the spouse paying alimony loses her or his job, or another example would be if the spouse receiving alimony finds suitable employment and can support themselves much sooner than expected.
Our North GA Divorce Law Firm Is Here For You
Are you getting divorced? Do you need to modify your alimony order? At Banks, Stubbs, & McFarland, a GA divorce law firm, we handle cases like yours every day. Contact us through our contact form or contact the office directly at 770.887.1209.
