Alimony In Connecticut

Alimony in Connecticut and Experienced Westport Family Lawyers

If you are dissolving your marriage in Connecticut, alimony is a critical issue you need to resolve to secure your financial future. Also called spousal support, alimony is a legal safeguard for dependent spouses designed to ensure they do not face undue financial hardship after divorce. Divorcing couples are free to negotiate an alimony settlement, or they can present the case to a judge. But either way, you need knowledgeable counsel and determined representation to get a fair resolution that protects your rights. At Needle | Cuda, we draw on extensive experience in divorce litigation. Our clients run the gamut from modest salaried employees to high-net-worth executives. We understand how important it is for you to maintain your standard of living, whether you expect to pay or receive alimony. We are ready to fight for you and deliver the best results possible.

How is alimony decided in Connecticut?

In Connecticut, alimony is primarily designed to enforce the duty of one spouse to support the other. In theory, this sets Connecticut apart from other states, where the court can order alimony to tide a dependent spouse over until he or she becomes self-supporting or to reimburse a spouse for financial sacrifices made during the marriage. But as a practical matter, the court can order alimony for a short duration, and there is no guarantee an alimony order will maintain a supported spouse at the same standard of living as he or she enjoyed before the divorce.

Connecticut allows for two types of alimony:

• Pendente lite — This is temporary spousal support awarded during the divorce process. It can include reasonable amounts for legal fees. An order of pendente lite terminates when the court issues the final divorce decree.
• Permanent alimony — This is the order for alimony made at the end of the divorce proceedings. “Permanent” is a bit of a misnomer, because the court need not order alimony for the lifetime of the recipient spouse, and an alimony order is subject to modification if circumstances change substantially. The court can order a lump-sum of alimony (which can be paid in installments) or regular, ongoing payments. The court can also set the duration of alimony and order the supporting spouse to purchase life insurance to guarantee the obligation.

It is important to know there is no absolute right to alimony under Connecticut law. The court decides the issue after examining the facts in light of numerous statutory factors.

Factors Considered by CT Family Court when Deciding Alimony in Connecticut

The factors a court considers when deciding whether to award alimony, how much to award, and for what duration, include:

• Length of the marriage
• Reasons for the dissolution of the marriage
• Ages of the parties
• Health of the parties
• Stations of the parties
• The parties’ occupations
• Amount and sources of income
• Vocational skills and employability of the parties
• Estates of the parties
• Liabilities and needs of each of the parties
• Desirability of the custodial parent securing employment

Often, a premarital (prenuptial) agreement factors into an alimony decision.

As your advocates, we are determined to achieve the best results possible. We draw on decades of experience to negotiate alimony agreements that make sense for your particular circumstances. If the other party refuses to be reasonable, we are prepared to fight in court for your financial rights. Our knowledge of statutory law and precedential cases enables us to build a compelling case for the outcome you need and deserve.

Contact our Connecticut divorce lawyers for savvy, straightforward advice about alimony in Connecticut

If you are engaged in a dispute over alimony in Fairfield County, Needle | Cuda is ready to help. We provide highly responsive service and effective representation focused on positive results. To reserve a consultation, call us today at 203-429-4151 or contact our Westport office online.

MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ALIMONY

IS THERE A FORMULA FOR CALCULATING ALIMONY IN CONNECTICUT?

No, there is no clear formula or explicit statutory guidelines for calculating alimony in Connecticut, unlike the state guidelines that exist for child support.

The most important thing to understand about alimony in Connecticut is that family court judges have broad discretion in determining how much alimony will be paid, how it will be paid, and on what schedule.

Therefore, if you choose not to settle your divorce by a negotiated settlement, your alimony determination ultimately rests in the hands of a family judge — whose rulings are not predictable or necessarily consistent, and may not represent the realities of your family’s financial situation or needs.

ALIMONY CALCULATOR

There is no such thing as an “alimony calculator,” so do not use any tool that represents itself as such, or rely on any information that such a tool may claim to offer. There is no way to accurately calculate alimony in Connecticut because of the many factors that family judges can consider when deciding alimony. Most importantly, each judge can exercise complete discretion when determining alimony, so, there is no consistent or reliable way to have an “alimony calculator”.

ALIMONY RULES OF THUMB

Just like everything else regarding alimony there are no exact rules for alimony just general Rules of Thumb.

The shorter the marriage there is less-likely to be a presumption of alimony;

Typically, if the marriage lasted for two years or less then there will be a very short award of alimony, if any. Aside from this, the longer the marriage the longer the alimony payments can continue.

The longer the marriage the longer alimony will most likely have to be paid;

Typically, after 20 years the marriage is considered long-term meaning that permanent alimony is a possibility which is when alimony is paid until the death of either party.

Half the length of the marriage (for marriages less than 20 years);

Again, the most important point with regard to alimony is that judges have complete discretion, but a Rule of Thumb for marriages shorter than 20 years, is that an alimony order will be around half the length of the marriage. But given the discretion of the judges, these is still a wide range of terms of alimony.