Alimony plays an important role in the post-divorce lives of many Michigan residents. It is the money that some divorced individuals are required to pay to their exes in order to provide them with ongoing support. Not all divorces involve awards or agreements of alimony; some divorces involve two individuals who are financially independent and able to support themselves once their marriages are over.
Most awards and agreements of alimony involve monthly or periodic payments. However, this is not the only structure that alimony may take on. This post provides information on how alimony may be structured by Michigan court orders or agreements, but no part of this post should be read as legal advice.
What is a lump sum alimony payment?
Though many alimony agreements and awards are structured on periodic payments, some are structured as lump sum payments. A lump sum payment is a single payment from one divorcing party to the other the constitutes the entirety of their alimony amount. Once the lump sum payment is made, the support relationship between the divorcing parties is over.
How long do alimony payments have to be made?
There is no single answer to the question of how long alimony requirements last because all divorces resolve based on different facts. Some divorces may involve alimony awards that only last as long as it takes the receiving party to get a job on which they can support themselves. Other divorces may occur between long-term couples or may involve disabled individuals who cannot work and who may require long-term support that lasts until their deaths.
When a person believes that they will need alimony to get through their divorce and post-divorce life, they should talk to their family law attorney about their needs and concerns. In some cases, individuals may be able to work with their exes to create alimony agreements that can be incorporated into their divorce orders by their courts. However they resolve their alimony concerns, their family law attorneys can support them through all stages of their divorces.