How to Make Sure Your Alimony in Atlanta Never Increases in the Future

Alimony in Atlanta is bad enough, but what if these payments increase at some point in the future? What if your ex takes you back to court and convinces a judge to award them even higher alimony payments? If you’re concerned about this issue, you’re not alone. Work with an experienced Atlanta alimony attorney to assess potential strategies to stop this from happening.

Consider Lump-Sum Alimony 

An obvious way to prevent alimony from increasing is to choose lump-sum alimony. As its name suggests, this approach involves paying alimony to your ex a single time instead of repeatedly over many months. While your lump-sum transfer will obviously be higher than each monthly payment, it offers a “clean break” and prevents modifications in the future. You can create an agreement with your ex that states that after this single alimony payment, they will have no further opportunities to seek compensation.

Of course, your ex is under no obligation to accept this arrangement. They could always push for the “normal” approach, which is court-ordered alimony divided into gradual payments over many years. You may have to convince your ex that this option serves their best interests, which isn’t always easy.

Create an Agreement That Makes Your Alimony Non-Modifiable

You might also choose to create an agreement that makes your alimony non-modifiable. Spouses may have this option during alternative dispute resolution (ADR) discussions, perhaps via mediation or collaborative law. Both spouses may agree that they should eliminate the possibility of going back to court, which can be tiresome and expensive for both spouses.

However, this option is also purely voluntary. If your ex wants to retain the right to modify their alimony in the future, they can simply say no to this agreement. In order to incentivize your ex to sign on the dotted line, you might have to offer certain concessions or make sacrifices during ADR.

Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements Can Make Alimony Non-Modifiable

Finally, spouses can prevent future modifications to alimony by using prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. While these agreements must occur before the divorce begins, they are arguably more reliable than lump-sum payments or ADR. Once your ex signs one of these agreements, it is extremely difficult for them to renege on their contractual obligations (assuming the prenup or postnup was valid).

That being said, postnuptial and prenuptial agreements are still entirely voluntary. If your ex doesn’t want to give up their right to modify alimony in the future, they are under no obligation to sign these agreements. Again, you might need to convince your spouse that this serves the best interests of the family and perhaps offer certain concessions in exchange.

Can an Atlanta Alimony Attorney Help Me?

An alimony attorney in Atlanta may be able to help you implement strategies that prevent your ex from increasing your alimony in the future. These include lump-sum alimony payments and negotiated alimony agreements during ADR. To learn more about the next potential steps, consider speaking with Buckhead Family Law today.

Source: 

georgia.gov/file-divorce