In September 2014, New Jersey’s Governor signed into law Bill A-845 and made Alimony Reform in New Jersey a reality.
The new provisions will be applied to future divorces. However, there is a “rebuttal presumption” that alimony payments will end once ex-spouses currently paying alimony reach “full retirement age.”
The 2014 statute replaces the term “permanent alimony” with “open durational alimony.”
Other changes to alimony in New Jersey include:
- The length of alimony payments cannot exceed the length of the marriage for marriages that last less than 20 years- except for special circumstances.
- A judge can decide to end payment of alimony if the recipient engages in a common law marriage or lives with a partner—even if they do not get married.
- Alimony payments can be lowered if the payer is unemployed for 90 days.
Bill A-845 is an example of how divorce, alimony and child custody laws can change. It is important to hire a family law attorney that understands all of the current and pending laws regarding divorce, alimony, child custody, and other family law matters.
If you or a family member is considering a divorce or in need of representation in an alimony matter, please contact the dedicated family law attorneys of Petrelli Previtera, LLC