You or your ex-spouse’s financial circumstances could have changed significantly since your divorce. You may, however, request an adjustment to your alimony payments under New Jersey Revised Statutes Title 2A. An adjustment request generally requires evidence that exceptional changes occurred in your living conditions.
The Garden State courts calculate the amount of alimony or maintenance support based on a couple’s earnings at the time of their marriage’s dissolution. A judge may consider several relevant factors when deciding on a financial arrangement. Any valuable assets that you take with you, for example, may reduce the support payment amount.
Factors used to determine alimony payments
A judge may review your potential lifestyle when considering court-ordered alimony. Each spouse’s skills, education and ability to earn income may factor into a judge’s decision. The length of your marriage and the standard of living it provided may determine an equitable support schedule.
New Jersey’s laws require both parents to contribute to a child’s upbringing. An ex-spouse who spends time away from work to care for a child may carry greater weight in obtaining financial support than someone without the need for childcare. Age and health could also influence the amount of alimony calculated during a divorce.
The ability to maintain a lifestyle
As reported by NJ.com, alimony generally provides for the ability to maintain the same lifestyle as during the marriage. If you no longer earn as much as you did before your divorce, you may file a petition with the court to modify the amount of alimony.
As noted on the NJCourts.gov website, you may show the court that your current circumstances require an adjustment to the existing support payments. Records showing a significant income reduction from a job loss or an illness, for example, could demonstrate to the court your need for the adjustment.
