Spousal Support With Social Security In Utah
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You are eligible to receive one-half (50%) of your ex-spouse's retirement benefit. If your ex-spouse should die before you, you can receive their full retirement benefit. The benefit does not include any delayed retirement credits your ex-spouse may receive.
Last Updated: April 18, 2025 If you don't have enough Social Security credits to get benefits on your own work record or your own benefit is small, you may be able to receive benefits as a spouse. Your spouse must be receiving benefits for you to get benefits on their work record.
Alimony is gender-neutral in Utah, meaning either spouse can request support during the divorce process. When considering a request for alimony, the judge will evaluate the following factors to determine the type, amount, and duration of support: the financial condition and needs of the supported spouse.
You may qualify for benefits on your spouse's Social Security earnings record if: You are 62 or older. Or, you are younger but caring for a child under 16 or a child with disabilities who is under 19. Your spouse is elgible for retirement benefits (62 or older)
Some reasons why an ex-spouse might not be entitled to receive alimony include: The ex-spouse does not meet the legally required level of financial need. You are not financially able to provide alimony to your ex-spouse. Your ex-spouse is at fault for the divorce, due to having an affair or another cause.
Utah courts consider various factors, including the length of your marriage, financial resources, and each spouse's contributions when deciding if one of you qualifies for alimony. It's common to award alimony in long-term marriages, but things can get complicated, making it necessary to seek legal help.
How Much Alimony Does a Wife Get in Utah? In Utah, the maximum alimony award a recipient spouse can receive is the amount of their "demonstrated need." Alimony is usually around 40% of the paying party's income. Suppose one spouse has a greater income-earning capacity than the other.
Utah law spells out a number of factors that judges must consider when they're deciding whether to award alimony and, if so, how much and for how long. Judges may also consider the spouse's wrongful conduct, including adultery. (Utah Code § 81-4-502 (2024).)
In Utah, the law mandates that the judge may order alimony only up to the number of years that the marriage lasted. So if the couple was married for 17 years, the support can last up to 17 years. Any extension will be at the discretion of the family court.
The first exception, which can be deemed as the Social Security spousal benefits loophole, works where an individual who remarries at 60 or later may still be entitled to Social Security survivors' benefits if the second marriage ends before the death of the first spouse.
