When you are divorced in Connecticut, the Court may make an award of alimony–the payment of money from one spouse to the other (sometimes also referred to as “spousal support” or “maintenance”). Alimony is based on the presumption that spouses have a continuing duty to support each other financially while a divorce is pending and/or after the divorce is granted.
If your spouse has historically been the primary wage earner or primary source of financial support for the family, it is typical for that arrangement to continue after the divorce with an award of alimony to you, as the non-working or lesser earning spouse. However, what happens when you and your spouse have similar levels of income, or if neither of you work? In that case, there may be an alimony waiver, or an award of “one dollar a year” of alimony.
An alimony waiver means that you and/or your spouse agree that no award of support, maintenance or alimony will be made by the Court at the time of the divorce. If you waive alimony at the time of your divorce, you are also waiving any claim for past or future alimony. There are different reasons why you may consider waiving alimony:
- You are the primary wage earner in your family
- You have not historically relied on your spouse for financial support
- You and your spouse were married for a very short period of time
- You and your spouse have similar levels of income
- You are confident in your ability to support yourself in the future
There is no requirement that an alimony waiver be mutual. Alimony can be waived by one party and not by the other. If you decide to waive alimony, at your divorce the Judge will ask you questions specifically about that alimony waiver, in order to determine that you understand what it means to waive your right to support and to verify that you can care for yourself financially.
What happens if you are comfortable waiving alimony at the time of your divorce, but do not want to preclude your right to ask for an award of alimony in the future? The answer may be that your spouse pays you “one dollar a year” in alimony for a certain period of time (the alimony term). The $1 is symbolic. It really means that no alimony will be paid to you for the time being, but it leaves the door open for you to ask for a modification of the alimony amount in the future. Leaving alimony open with an award of “one dollar a year” may be appropriate if:
- You are currently working but your future employment is uncertain
- There is a possibility that your spouse will return to the workforce or make significantly more money in the future
- There are health concerns that prevent you from knowing if you will be able to support yourself in the future
- You have been married for many years and you and/or your spouse are of advanced age
Experienced divorce counsel in Westport and Greenwich can help you determine if the circumstances of your case make an alimony waiver realistic or preferable to “one dollar a year” in alimony. At Broder Orland Murray & DeMattie LLC we are adept at advising our clients on the strategies and the multitude of factors considered by a Court in establishing an alimony award.
