Dealing With Spousal Support in London Ontario

Understanding spousal support (what you may have heard called “alimony” in American or other media) is important if you’ve been in a spousal relationship (including a common law/unmarried relationship) with someone and the relationship has broken down.

Spousal support can take the form of a lump-sum payment or, more commonly, an arrangement for ongoing payments from one spouse to another spouse after the relationship has come to end.

It’s important to know that spousal support is not automatic – there are several reasons that one spouse could be entitled to receive support from the other:

• To compensate the recipient spouse for responsibilities they took on during the marriage or common-law relationship, like staying home to care for the children or the home instead of taking on paid work or at the cost of a career they had been pursuing before becoming a stay-at-home parent;
• To help a spouse become self-sufficient, and make sure they don’t suffer hardship when the relationship breaks down; or
• To fulfill a contractual obligation (for example, if you signed a marriage contract or “pre-nup” that specified that spousal support would be paid. 

Spousal support is often paid monthly on an ongoing basis, sometimes with a defined end date, and sometimes indefinitely depending on the length of the marriage and a few other factors. It can also be paid in one large, lump-sum payment in some cases. Some forms of spousal support payments are tax deductible to the payor and count as taxable income to the recipient, and other forms do not come with these tax consequences. 

Whether you believe that you may be entitled to spousal support or you’re facing a claim for spousal support being made against you, it’s important to have an experienced London family lawyer on your side. Contact us today to discuss your options.