How long does alimony last in Texas?

You and your spouse are no longer a team. During your marriage, each of you had specific roles. Your spouse was the breadwinner, earning a solid income that allowed you to remain home, take care of your children and make sure domestic matters ran smoothly. With the pending divorce, that is about to change. A big concern: money and alimony.

You wonder how long you will receive alimony because you have a number of financial concerns now that you will be on your own. The answer depends on a few factors, but mostly on the length of your marriage. In Texas, the longer you were married to your spouse, the more years you will receive alimony.

Usually tied to length of the marriage

Many questions swirl inside your head when thinking about divorce, money and alimony. Will you be able to maintain the same standard of living and previous lifestyle when you were married? Will you have to obtain a full- or part-time job? And of course, how long can I expect to receive alimony?

Here is a breakdown of how long to expect to receive alimony along with descriptions since Texas has specific guidelines related to alimony:

• Up to five years in two scenarios. The first is if your marriage lasted 10 years and your spouse was abusive. The other if your marriage lasted between 10 and 20 years.
• Up to seven years if your marriage lasted between 20 and 30 years.
• Up to 10 years if your marriage lasted more than 30 years.
• In cases in which a dependent child is disabled, alimony may be indefinite.

You understand that you, too, will have to make certain changes in your financial life. More decisions – decisions that you must make independently – are on the horizon for you. And some of those decisions may have a direct link to the length of time you will receive alimony.