Understanding The New Massachusetts Alimony Reform Act

In 2011, the Massachusetts Legislature passed the Alimony Reform Act, which completed overhauled the alimony laws in Massachusetts. Once the Act became effective in March 2012, alimony then became categorized into four different types of alimony.

The first, and most typical type is General Alimony. This is actually the periodic payment of support to a dependent former spouse, usually paid in monthly or weekly installments. This kind may be awarded in a marriage of any length, but terminates after a certain quantity of months, which really is a certain percentage of the duration of one's marriage. Generally, the award is 30-35% of the difference in income involving the payor spouse and the recipient.

General Alimony can terminate if the recipient spouse begins to cohabitate with another individual for an amount of at least 3 months. General alimony also terminates when the payor spouse dies, the recipient spouse dies, remarriage of the recipient spouse, or the payor spouse reaches full retirement age.

The next form of alimony is named Rehabilitative Alimony. This kind is awarded for a marriage of any length, however, the payments cannot last for over 5 years. This, too, is paid in periodic (monthly or weekly) installments.  Massachusetts Divorce Attorneys The purpose of this alimony is to allow the recipient spouse to be self-sufficient while receiving the alimony payments. Rehabilitative alimony terminates upon the death of the payor spouse, death of the recipient spouse, remarriage of the recipient, or by a specific event in the foreseeable future, as defined by a court order.

Another kind of alimony is Reimbursement alimony. This kind is awarded in short-term marriages of not over 5 years. The purpose of this alimony is to compensate the recipient spouse for his or her contributions to the financial resources of the payor spouse. This type of alimony may be made as a one-time payment or in periodic payments. Reimbursement alimony terminates upon the death of the recipient or on a specific date.

The last form of alimony is Transitional Alimony. This kind is awarded for short-term marriages of 5 years or less. The purpose of this type of alimony is always to transition the recipient spouse to a certain adjusted form of lifestyle or location. Payments of transitional alimony are made in periodic installments, or in a one-time payment. Transitional Alimony lasts for not more than 3 years from the date of divorce, and terminates upon the death of the recipient or on a specific date.