{"id":2291,"date":"2022-06-16T07:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T12:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/single-parent.club\/?p=2291"},"modified":"2023-01-27T17:38:18","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T23:38:18","slug":"washington-alimony-laws-guidelines-wa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/single-parent.club\/washington-alimony-laws-guidelines-wa\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Alimony Laws and Guidelines: All About Spousal Support in “WA”"},"content":{"rendered":"

The alimony laws governing spousal support in Washington are different from what is obtainable in other states. Read further to grasp the peculiarity of the WA alimony law.<\/span><\/p>\n

All 50 states in America are alimony states<\/a>, meaning states that have enacted laws permitting a spouse who cannot work full time or with a lower income to request payments from the other spouse to support themselves after a divorce.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Alimony?<\/h2>\n

Also referred to as “spousal support<\/a>” or “spousal maintenance” in Evergreen State, alimony is the series of payments made by one spouse (the payor spouse) to another (the supported or payee spouse) after the divorce.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before the alimony payments<\/a> commence, there has to be a written order or agreement which requires the payor to support the payee with a stipulated amount of money.<\/span><\/p>\n

This agreement eliminates any disputes in the future about why the payment was made or when it’s not made.<\/span><\/p>\n

Type of Alimony Laws Practiced in WA<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Types of alimony in Washington<\/p><\/div>\n

In Washington, judges award various types of alimony<\/a>, or spousal maintenance, when one spouse is financially reliant on the other. It is not intended to be a reprimand for the spending spouse or a crutch for the receiving spouse, but a way to assist the lower-earning spouse until he\/she is able to better provide for themselves.<\/p>\n

It’s worth noting that Washington state law does not guarantee alimony in the event of a divorce or offer a formula for calculating the amount or length of support. Courts make their decisions on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n

Temporary Spousal Support in Washington<\/span><\/h3>\n

The parties still have a formal obligation to help one another during the divorce process. While a court is unlikely to award alimony in the final divorce order, it is very likely that a court will order temporary alimony while the final divorce order is being finalized, as long as one party needs the money and the other has the means to pay.<\/p>\n

Because being divorced in Washington can take up to a year, this results in one party receiving temporary spousal support for approximately a year, even when it is evident to all concerned parties that spousal support would never be ordered as part of a final ruling. (Wash. Rev. Code Ann. \u00a7 26.09.060 (b).)<\/p>\n

Rehabilitative Maintenance in Washington<\/span><\/h3>\n

The court may order rehabilitative maintenance (also known as short-term maintenance<\/strong>) for a short period of time to allow the other spouse to update his or her education or skills in order to re-enter the workforce in situations where the reliant spouse may need time (and support) to obtain an education or job skills that will allow them to be self-supporting.<\/p>\n

Rehabilitative support will have an end date or event specified by the judges. Many judges will also allow a sponsored spouse to request that the award be extended or reviewed before it expires.<\/p>\n

Permanent Alimony in Washington<\/span><\/h3>\n

Permanent maintenance, (often known as long-term support<\/strong>) is a type of support offered to spouses that are not able to sustain themselves. If you’ve been married for two years, the court is inclined to award long-term support.<\/p>\n

The judge may impose permanent assistance for long marriages or where one partner is unable to work due to a disability, or older age, or if the assisted spouse is unable to acquire the skills needed to find work.<\/p>\n

Who Pays Alimony in Washington?<\/span><\/h2>\n

In Washington alimony law, the spouse that makes most of the money will share that income with the other spouse. The idea behind who pays for alimony<\/a> is to considerably level up the living standard of the dependent spouse to what it was while the marriage was on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regarding the sex that pays, alimony in Evergreen State is gender-neutral, meaning either spouse can request support from the other. As long as the alimony can be provided to the requesting spouse, then it will most likely be granted.<\/span><\/p>\n

So a husband can receive alimony<\/a> from a wife in Washington if the above conditions are met.<\/p>\n

How Long Does Spousal Support Last in WA?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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The judge will decide how long the alimony payment should last in Washington<\/p><\/div>\n

Washington courts while determining spousal, look at maintenance from three different perspectives, based on how long the marriage lasted<\/a>: short-term, medium-term, and long-term marriages.<\/p>\n

Alimony in Short-Term Marriages in Washington<\/h3>\n

This affects marriages that lasted for less than 5 years. In most cases, courts attempt to return the parties to their pre-marriage financial status. The court is effectively pursuing a remedy similar to rescission under this strategy, in which both parties are returned to their pre-marriage financial situation.<\/p>\n

Even if one party obviously needs alimony\/spousal support and the other has the financial means to pay, if both parties are fit and able to work, the judge is reluctant to award any maintenance after a few years of marriage.<\/p>\n

However, Temporary alimony<\/strong> can be awarded for marriages that lasted less than 5 years.<\/p>\n

Alimony in Medium-Term Marriages in Washington<\/h3>\n

There is significantly less clarity about alimony payments for marriages of 5-25 years, and judicial officials often apply their flexibility in manners that are contradictory to one another. This is regrettable since inconsistency tends to prolong litigation and raise the chances of a contested trial.<\/p>\n

However, when reviewing spousal support grants for medium-term marriages, judges and attorneys follow some common guidelines, which is:<\/p>\n

In Washington State, courts typically give one year of alimony for every three or four years the marriage lasted. Although there is no official regulation or case law declaring this calculation, it is an often-cited guideline and what judges are generally required to do.<\/p>\n

Alimony in Long-Term Marriages in Washington<\/h3>\n

In marriages lasting 25 years or longer, Washington courts normally strive to put the spouses in an equal financial way for the rest of their lives, or at least until both spouses retire. The concept is that after 25 years of marriage, the spouses should be seen as monetarily equals, and their financial situations after the divorce shall reflect that.<\/p>\n

In a long-term marriage, it’s usual for property to be split 50\/50 and salaries to be evened up by alimony payments until both spouses reach retirement age.<\/p>\n

How to Collect Spousal Support Arrears in Washington<\/span><\/h3>\n

When it comes to collecting spousal support<\/a> in Washington, you have a few choices if your ex-spouse has failed to make alimony payments as ordered by the court. Debts for spousal support are frequently given priority among debtors under US law.<\/p>\n

Factors That Influence Alimony in Washington<\/span><\/h2>\n

The average amount payable as spousal support in Washington after divorce is determined by various factors. But the major factor you have to understand is “the standard of living of the marriage.”<\/span><\/p>\n

To determine the final amounts for rehabilitative and permanent support in WA, the courts in WA take into consideration the income of the spouses, plus other factors like:<\/span><\/p>\n