Alimony & Spousal Maintenance

Austin Alimony Attorneys

Texas Spousal Maintenance and Alimony Attorneys

You may not have received a paycheck every two weeks for the past twenty years, but you have worked with devotion at one of the most important jobs in the world—caring for your home and raising a family. In the unfortunate event that your marriage ends in divorce, you may be entitled to spousal maintenance or alimony as you transition to life as a single person who likely will need to find new income.

Whether you believe you should receive alimony or are in the position that you may have to pay your spouse, you need to know that there are specific Texas laws in place that dictate how spousal maintenance is determined. In Texas, there is no right to permanent spousal maintenance and courts cannot require it for more than three years. Also, Texas spousal maintenance is not permitted to be part of the divorce settlement unless you have been married for at least ten years.

In terms of asking for some support during the divorce process, Texas courts are more flexible. This is known as temporary spousal maintenance and will often be determined based on need and the other spouse's ability to pay. You will want to have a knowledgeable family law attorney by your side while negotiating for this temporary assistance as such discussions are also bundled with decisions concerning property and other assets. You need to make sure that all of these important issues that involve money are being considered with the tax implications in mind. You do not want to discover that the IRS is going to challenge your claim of spousal support because the payment looks like it was intended for a different purpose or because the payment made was more than what seems reasonable. We know that divorce already brings overwhelming feelings of stress and worry; let our divorce lawyers make you confident that at least the financial component of your alimony agreement is acceptable to those who look at your money.

Having to ask for financial assistance from your spouse as you move through the divorce process is difficult and not a topic that many people want to face. However, you need to make sure that you are in a financial position to support your family as you enter this next stage in life. Our experienced divorce attorneys are able to integrate the spousal maintenance component into the general divorce negotiation process in a way that is respectful of both parties and creates the most favorable outcome for the family.