Annotate Legal Washington Alimony Forms For Free

Washington law provides for only two types of alimony: temporary maintenance while the divorce case is in progress, and. maintenance for a certain period of time after the divorce is final.

Unlike many other states, Washington doesn't categorize types of post-divorce alimony meant to address the circumstances?financial and otherwise?that existed during a marriage. At the most basic level, alimony depends on one spouse's need for financial support and the other spouse's ability to pay it.

Washington is a community property state. Generally, all property (house, other real estate, car) a spouse gets during the marriage is community property. It belongs to both of you, even if only one of you is on the title. Each spouse's earnings during the marriage is community property.

If there is an asset or income inequality between former spouses, or one person has been financially reliant on the others, alimony is a way to financially recover after the marriage has concluded. However, alimony is far from a guarantee in the State of Washington. The court will review your case based on its merits.

Parties who have been married for five years or less have a ?short-term marriage? under Washington Law. In a short-term marriage divorce, the court strives to divide the shared assets in a fair and equitable manner and return the parties to the financial position they were in before the marriage.

You can work with your spouse to come to a separation agreement outside of court. If you agree that no post-separation support payments should be awarded, you can avoid a potential alimony order from the court.