After a divorce, you may agree to or a judge may order one spouse to pay alimony to the other. Depending on the specific order or agreement, your alimony payments may continue indefinitely. However, there are some circumstances in which spousal support eventually ends.
Minnesota offers three types of alimony, or spousal maintenance: temporary, short-term and long-term. Both temporary and short-term alimony have a natural end date. A judge will specify when the maintenance ends, and the supported spouse is entitled to ask for an extension.
Long-term maintenance may be awarded when a spouse with lower or no earning potential can never become self-supporting. This is often awarded in situations where one spouse has a disability or has been out of the job market for so long, they will not be able to earn a sufficient income. However, long-term maintenance doesn’t necessarily mean “’til death do you pay.”
While temporary and short-term alimony come with automatic end dates, long-term alimony can continue indefinitely. Long-term alimony may end when:
For experienced divorce and family law assistance in St. Paul, MN, contact Appelhof, Pfeifer & Hart, P.A. today.