Eligibility For Spousal Maintenance In Texas To qualify for spousal maintenance, a spouse must convincingly demonstrate a need for financial assistance, grounded in specific circumstances that impede their ability to provide for their minimum reasonable needs.
Texas courts only order permanent spousal support in cases where a spouse or child is disabled. A couple can agree to spousal support lasting longer than 10 years as part of a settlement. In most cases, courts limit the timeframe based on how long the marriage lasted: 10-20 years – no more than 5 years.
Unlike most other states, Texas law limits the amount of spousal maintenance that judges may award. Monthly payments may not exceed $5,000 or 20% of the supporting spouse's average monthly gross income, whichever is less. Monthly gross income includes income from all sources except: Social Security retirement benefits.
After a divorce, it's common for one spouse to make payments to the other as part of the divorce agreement. These payments can be alimony, child support or a mix of both.
In Texas, some things can disqualify you from spousal support. These include: Cohabitation: If you live with someone else in a marriage-like relationship, you may be disqualified for spousal support. Remarriage: If you remarry before your spousal support obligation ends, you may be disqualified for further payments.
The court-ordered monthly amount of spousal maintenance can be at most $5,000 or 20% of the paying spouse's average monthly gross income, and whichever is lower of those two.
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Texas does have alimony, but Texas law favors alimony payments that are decided in private contracts as a part of divorce settlements over court ordered alimony. Texas does, however, allow for alimony or spousal support payments to be ordered, but there are very strict requirements that determine who is eligible.