In Florida, alimony is often awarded by the court during and after divorces, obligating the higher-earning spouse to pay the other spouse in an attempt to help maintain the standards of living attained during the marriage. But what is also common, is that the spouse with the legal obligation to pay refuses to do so. Therefore, in this article, we’ll review how the beneficiary spouse can make the other one pay despite his or her refusal or failure to do so.

Simply put, if your ex-spouse is not paying you the ordered alimony, there are steps you can take in court to enforce said obligation. The following are ways in which a court may enforce an alimony obligation:
• Wage garnishment
• Being considered in contempt of Court, which can result in fines or jail time
• Seizure of certain property, such as bank balances, rental income, dividends, or physical property
• Having alien placed on your home or other real estate property
• Seizure of any income tax refunds due to you

Now, we’ll proceed to describe the most common ones; wage garnishment and contempt of court.

Wage Garnishment as away to enforce an Alimony Order

Also known as income with holding, wage garnishment is a legal procedure in which a court orders the withheld of the payer spouse’s earnings for the payment of the alimony. What this means is that a percentage of the payer spouse’s pay will automatically go to the beneficiary spouse. It is important to know that this type of withholding can be used for different types of income, such as:

• Salary
• Wages
• Bonuses
• Commissions
• Tax returns
• Retirement benefits
• Social Security benefits
• Lottery winnings

Contempt as away to enforce an alimony order

In Florida, filing a motion for contempt may be your first option when choosing to enforce alimony. If the court reviews your case and finds that the spouse’s refusal to pay alimony is intentional, he or she may be held in contempt of court. The court will then determine the appropriate punishment for the spouse in contempt, such as fines or even jail time.

There are many ways to enforce alimony, what’s important is that you contact an expert lawyer in the field who will guide and tell you which course of action is best.

Visit https://www.jjlawfl.com/


Jacobs Law Firm

331 S. Wymore Rd., Winter Park, Florida
32789
CALL US
(407) 335-8113
EMAIL
[email protected]