Can I get alimony if I was married for four years? 26 Answers as of September 24, 2011

Alimony is unconstitutional in Texas. If you are referring to "temporary spousal support" my it is not likely. In Texas to get temporary spousal support, you must be married 10 years or be the victim of spousal abuse (physical) and unfortunately, you have to prove it - your assertions and allegations alone are not enough. Additionally, even if you qualify - it is very limited so it is not something you can plan on.

The longer the marriage, the more you contributed, and many other factors will have an affect on whether you will receive alimony. An attorney with experience in this area can help sort through which facts are most important and what evidence should be presented on your behalf.

Qualification for receiving alimony is based on more than just the length of the marriage. You would need to present more information to determine if you qualify. You should please directly with an attorney.

Four years is a very short term, but whether you can collect spousal support will depend on many different factors.

You might be able to. However, it might not be much. In Washington, there are a number of factors that go into whether there is an award of maintenance. Some of those factors are: the duration of the marriage; the paying person's ability to pay; the receiving person's need; the ages of the parties; the health of the parties; the employment history of the parties; the education of the parties; and others. So, whether you get any maintenance will depend on how all of these factors line up.

The answer depends on many factors, not the least of which is the income of the parties and the length of the marriage. Certainly, on a short term marriage, spousal support is much less likely.

There is no set time period. The longer you are married, the more justification there is for maintenance (formerly known as alimony) because you have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle. Rather than any set time period, the court considers a number of factors, including the following: (1) the income and property of each party, including marital property apportioned and non-marital property assigned to the party seeking maintenance; (2) the needs of each party; (3) the present and future earning capacity of each party; (4) any impairment of the present and future earning capacity of the party seeking maintenance due to that party devoting time to domestic duties or having forgone or delayed education, training, employment, or career opportunities due to the marriage; (5) the time necessary to enable the party seeking maintenance to acquire appropriate education, training, and employment, and whether that party is able to support himself or herself through appropriate employment or is the custodian of a child making it appropriate that the custodian not seek employment; (6) the standard of living established during the marriage; (7) the duration of the marriage; (8) the age and the physical and emotional condition of both parties; (9) the tax consequences of the property division upon the respective economic circumstances of the parties; (10) contributions and services by the party seeking maintenance to the education, training, career or career potential, or license of the other spouse; (11) any valid agreement of the parties; and (12) any other factor that the court expressly finds to be just and equitable. As you can see, the duration of the marriage is only one of a long list of factors a judge is to consider when deciding whether to award maintenance. If you are serious in seeking maintenance, you should consult with an attorney who specializes in this field.

Probably not. There is a presumption that alimony is not required in short term marriages. It is a rebuttable presumption and there are some exceptions, such as a disability that occurred during the marriage.

Depends but not usually unless there are unusual circumstances (became disabled during the marriage etc.)

Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to get short term alimony. The court may consider the discrepancy in incomes, what is needed to get re-established as a single person, if one Party stayed home with children and a number of other factors. I suggest you consult an experienced Family Law attorney to discuss your case in greater detail and learn all of your rights and options. Good luck.