Spousal Support in Colorado

What is Alimony?

If you are interested in filing for divorce in Colorado, you may be wondering about spousal maintenance, also known as alimony. Spousal support is a legal obligation of a higher-earning spouse to provide financial support to a lower-earning spouse. The purpose of alimony is to help the lower-earning spouse continue the standard of living that they had during marriage and prevent an unfair economic effect due to divorce. Alimony can end when the recipient spouse becomes self-supporting or remarries.

How is Spousal Maintenance Determined?

There are two types of spousal support in Colorado: “pendente lite” or short-term maintenance and long-term maintenance. The former may be ordered during divorce proceedings, while the latter starts after the divorce is final.

Long-term maintenance payments are either biweekly or monthly and set for a specific period of time. Permanent alimony is quite rare in Colorado, but essentially, the longer the marriage, the longer the alimony payments may continue.

When determining spousal maintenance, the state uses a standardized method for all couples that earn a combined monthly income of $240,000 or less. If this range applies to your case and you were married for at least three years, spousal support payments will equal 40 percent of the higher-earning spouse’s monthly adjusted gross income, subtracted by 50 percent of the other spouse’s monthly adjusted gross income.

If the marriage was less than three years or more than two decades, or the couple’s combined income is over $240,000, then the guidelines may not apply. If a couple is married more than 20 years, then permanent alimony may be rewarded.

Let Our Longmont Divorce Lawyers Help Today

Whether you anticipate paying or receiving alimony, our legal family law team at Jorgensen, Brownell & Pepin, P.C. can protect your rights and best interests throughout the divorce process to obtain the most favorable outcome possible. With years of experience and an exceptional track record of success, our Longmont divorce lawyers have the knowledge and skill to help you navigate the complexities of the legal system.