Alimony Reform Information

Massachusetts is in the process of reforming its alimony laws.  Alimony is a payment made to a divorced spouse if the marriage ends through no fault of his or her own, and is paid by the divorcing spouse.  It is for the maintenance of the lifestyle shared by both spouses during the marriage, such as keeping up with household bills, adt home security, cable, and other payments that must be made.

The previous alimony laws allowed judges to award lifelong alimony to divorced spouses after either short and long term marriages. Most other states have either already updated the alimony systems in their regions, or never had such liberal awards as an option. The old law in Massachusetts often required payments to go on even after the paying spouse had retired or the spouse receiving it moved in with a new partner or remarried.

The new law enjoyed widespread support in the legislature, and now allows most of those paying alimony to stop once they retire. It further sets limits based on the length of a marriage, a more reasonable gage for determining the amount and duration of alimony to be paid.

To help you understand the new laws, this infographic provides details and contrasts the old system with the newly adopted one.  Click to expand the image: