If your ex is ordered to pay alimony or child support and then he or she does not pay, wage garnishment can sometimes be used to get back the money that is owed. This is a preferred method because the wages are garnished before they pass from the employer to the employee, so there is no way for your ex to stop that money from coming to you. It is important to know that there are some limits on wage garnishment that are set up by Title III of the Consumer Credit Protection Act. You’re not likely going to get all of the money that is owed at once. The two basic limits are: — 50 percent of the total personal earnings. This can be done if your ex has remarried and then he or she is supporting the second family. If your spouse is supporting a child, the 50 percent limit is also used. — 60 percent of the total personal earnings. This limit is used when your ex is not married and does not have a child or a family to support. In addition, it’s important to note that an extra 5 percent could be added on to the above if the payment totals have been in arrears for at least 12 weeks. This means the maximum total that could be reached is 65 percent of the earnings from each paycheck. As you can see, the amount that can be deducted is quite significant and could have a

As its name may suggest, rehabilitative alimony is when one spouse makes payments to the other in order to help the receiving spouse get back on his or her feet after divorce. Its main purpose is to help the receiving spouse become employable and self-sufficient. Rehabilitative alimony is awarded for a predetermined amount of time after which the payments will cease. Rehabilitative alimony may be awarded without regard to how long the marriage lasted, but a judge will look at the length of the marriage when making a determination. Five years is the longest period a spouse can receive this kind of spousal support. In many cases a judge may award rehabilitative alimony when one spouse has been absent from the Massachusetts workforce for a long time. Other times, it may be awarded if a spouse is overcoming an injury or illness and needs financial assistance while recovering. The amount of rehabilitative alimony may undergo changes if the paying spouse loses a job or if one spouse experiences a significant change in income. If certain circumstances mandate the need, a judge may consider extending rehabilitative alimony. These circumstances include: — An unexpected event that delays the receiving spouse’s self-sufficiency — The receiving spouse has made every effort to become self-sufficient but is still experiencing hardships — And, the paying spouse will not suffer financial hardships from an alimony extension In many situations, rehabilitative alimony is good for both spouses. However, any time spousal support is an issue it is a