Alimony Guidelines

When a couple with children divorces, one of the issues that keeps them busy and sleepless is paying the minors' expenses. Or in the vernacular - "Alimony."

Payment of small expenses includes several components. The first and most familiar component is alimony: payment for the minor's needs.

Another component of minors' expenses is the section component, payment for the minor's housing expenses.

The final component refers to educational and medical expenses, which parents typically split half and half; it is therefore referred to as "half".

Alimony: For minors, not the parents

Child support is intended for minors to guarantee them a roof over their heads, nutritional security, and all their needs. There is a difference between these alimony payments and the wife's alimony, which a rabbinical court only grants until the divorce is finalized. Therefore, when the court decides on such and other issues related to alimony, it considers the minors and their needs. It also takes into account if there are unique needs for them, such as different learning problems, different disabilities and so on. As a rule, alimony is paid until the age of 18. However, it is customary to pay a reduced amount until the age of 21 or until the end of military service.

How is the amount of alimony determined?

When we determine the amount of alimony, the child's needs are considered.

The most basic items are food, clothing, education, and medicine, all human needs. Additionally, housing expenses are included.

In recent years, the issue of calculating alimony has undergone upheavals, especially after the revolutionary ruling in 919/5. This ruling stated that if the parent's wages are equal and the minors spend an equal amount of time with each parent, the alimony payment is canceled.

In general, the calculation of the alimony amount depends on several main variables:

• The children's standard of living and expenses
• The parents' earnings gap
• The stay times of each parent with the children

There is no clear and uniform formula for calculating alimony. Instead, each case is examined on its own merits according to the circumstances and the legal system in which it is conducted.

Changing the amount of alimony: Reduction or increase

Sometimes one of the parents, or both, will apply to the court with a claim to change the amount of child support. In accordance with the ruling, increasing or decreasing alimony.

In order to file a claim for a proper reduction or increase in alimony, proof of a "substantial change in circumstances" is required. That is, a substantial alteration of the existing situation in relation to the day the alimony was determined. What is a fundamental change? Depends on the circumstances of each case. A substantial change was defined as a change that could not have been foreseen when determining the amount of alimony.

What happens when a parent does not pay child support?

If the parent who is determined to pay child support violates the law and does not pay what is stipulated in the judgment or in the agreement between the parents, the parent who receives the child support can apply to the enforcement office and start collection procedures. 

This article should not be considered legal advice or a substitute for individual legal advice. If necessary, consult an attorney specializing in family law