When you meet someone and start a new relationship after divorce, it can be hard figuring out the best way to tell your friends and family about it. Things can become even more complicated if you are receiving alimony from your ex. 
Alimony payments ensure that a lower-income spouse has enough finances to maintain their lifestyle after a divorce. If you receive spousal support, you may be left wondering what might happen if you remarry or start dating.
Worry not, as this article will tell you everything about what happens to your alimony once you meet a new partner.
How Alimony Works
After divorce, the court may order one spouse to pay alimony to the other, also called spousal support. The payments are meant to help the spouse lower earnings maintain the same standard of living they had during the marriage.
Usually, the court will determine the period alimony payments should last. However, if you have married your partner for more than 20 years, there won’t be a limit on the duration you can receive alimony.
You may also stop receiving alimony if you become self-supporting. Depending on your state’s laws, other factors such as cohabiting and remarrying may call for an alimony order termination.
Remarriage and Alimony
When you remarry, you automatically cease to be an eligible alimony recipient. The new marriage could be considered a financial partnership, and it is assumed that your partner will support you.
‘However, sometimes the court may decide that alimony payments continue even after remarriage. This can apply to some types of alimony, such as reimbursement or rehabilitative alimony.
If you are thinking about remarrying, you should consult an attorney to find out how it will affect your alimony payments.
Can Cohabitation Affect Alimony Payments?
Cohabitation happens when two people in a romantic relationship live together without getting married.
Your ex could stop alimony when no longer applicable, especially if they can prove you’re cohabiting with a new partner. For example, in Alabama, the court can consider several factors to determine if your new relationship is cohabitation or casual dating. Some of these factors include:
- The length of your new relationship
- Shared vacations and holidays
- Shared assets
- Contribution to household expenses
- What you do together
Though living together may be a major indicator of cohabitation, the court might still decide if a couple is cohabiting even if they reside in different homes.
Ways Your Ex Could Use to Prove Cohabitation and Stop Paying Alimony
Interviewing Your Friends and Neighbors
You have probably shared information with friends about your new relationship. Moreover, your neighbors might have seen someone coming in and out of your house or overheard conversations that indicate you moved in with a new partner.
Your ex could use this information in court to prove cohabitation.
Conducting Surveillance
Your ex may hire a private investigator to document the comings and goings of your new partner. The investigator will take pictures, keep track of dates and times, and even install video cameras in strategic locations.
Searching Your Trash Pull
Whatever you consider useless in your trash bin can be used as evidence by your ex-spouse to prove cohabitation. This can range from things such as bills and receipts to notes and spouse-like photos.
However, going through someone’s trash may be considered a breach of privacy and can only happen if the trash bin is at the curb.
Following Posts on Your Socials
Social media is a great way for your ex to keep tabs on your whereabouts and activities. They may visit your profiles to see the photos you post, check your relationship status, or even ask for information about you from mutual friends.
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