If you are getting divorced and seeking alimony, you might be wondering how long your marriage needs to have lasted before you qualify for alimony. This is everything you need to know about getting alimony in Texas, as well as what your family law attorney can do to help.
Ask a Family Law Attorney: How Long Do You Need to Be Married to Get Alimony in Texas?
Getting divorced is a stressful and painful process. When you divorce your spouse, it can feel like all aspects of your life are changing, including your earnings. Getting alimony can help to ease some of the financial burdens of your divorce. In Texas, to get alimony, a few factors will be considered. Of course, one is the length of the marriage itself. Your marriage must have lasted for at least ten years to qualify for alimony. Texas alimony laws can be subjective and complicated, which is why you should make sure you have the help of family law attorneys in Sugarland, TX.
How Is Alimony Set?
The judge will consider a few different things when deciding whether or not you’ll get alimony and how much that will be. Along with the length of your marriage, things like your financial resources including your separate property will be taken into account. The judge will also consider things like disabilities you may have that impact your earning ability, whether your divorce was a fault or no-fault divorce, any non-economic contributions that were made during the marriage, and the relative earning capacity of you and your ex.
Modifying Alimony
If you reach a point where the alimony you are getting or paying no longer feels appropriate, then you can request to modify your spousal support. To do this, you’ll need to prove that your circumstances have changed significantly enough to warrant this modification. For a judge to agree to modify your spousal support, these changes also need to be good-faith and unanticipated changes. For instance, you as an obligee cannot quit your job to increase the amount of money that your ex must pay you. If the judge agrees to modify your spousal support, they will reassess and determine what should be paid.
Why Should You Hire a Lawyer?
The Law Is Complicated
To be able to practice law, lawyers need to spend several years training in and understanding the legal system. That’s because there are a lot of nuances and complexities to the law. As a layperson, it’s unlikely that you have this same training. And, since alimony laws in Texas can be so complicated and difficult to navigate, it’s important to have legal representation on your side to ensure that you get the spousal support you need.
Your Ex Might Have Legal Representation
If your ex has a lawyer and you don’t, you are going to be at a huge disadvantage. Choosing to represent yourself means that it will be much easier for your ex’s legal representation to take advantage of you and prevent you from getting the spousal support you need. Some people believe that representing themselves is the smartest financial choice, as they won’t have to pay legal fees. But the reality is that doing this will likely mean that you lose out on alimony. Work with a lawyer to ensure you get the support you deserve.
Lawyers Can Handle Paperwork
One of the most tedious but still necessary parts of any legal battle is dealing with paperwork. When you’re going through the stress of a divorce and trying to get the spousal support you need, the last thing you want to do is manage and file documents. This is where your lawyer can help you. Your lawyer will know everything that needs to get filled out, and they’ll make sure it’s all done correctly. Your lawyer will also make sure that all of this paperwork gets to where it needs to go on time.
Lawyers Know What Fair Spousal Support Looks Like
If you are fighting to get alimony, you may not be aware of what fair payment should actually look like. And, if you’re representing yourself, your ex’s legal representation likely knows that. That means that they’ll do what they can to avoid having to give you what’s fair. But when you have a lawyer on your side, they’ll be able to tell you exactly what you should expect from your alimony. They’ll also know how to present your case to a judge to ensure that you get fair payment. Getting alimony can alleviate some of the financial burdens of your divorce. A judge will look at several
factors to determine whether or not you should get alimony, and what your spousal support is going to look like. Your lawyer will fight for your rights and ensure that you get what’s fair.
