Honolulu Alimony And Spousal Support Attorneys

Last updated on October 22, 2025

Alimony, also known as spousal support, is an award of money that one former spouse pays to help financially support the other after a divorce or separation has been filed. The money is intended to allow the lower-earning person to maintain a similar lifestyle to what he/she enjoyed during the marriage. In Hawaii, alimony is not guaranteed as a part of a divorce settlement. The determining factors are very subjective, and each case is different.

To reach an alimony agreement that protects your finances and other needs, contact our Honolulu alimony lawyers at Coates Frey & Hackett, AAL LLLC, today.

How Is Alimony Determined?

Alimony is not required to be paid in Hawaii divorce cases. The divorcing spouses must agree (otherwise the court will decide) whether spousal support will be paid, who will pay it, how much it will be and how long it will last. Alimony is not a part of most divorce settlements, although most people assume that it is.

If the couple cannot come to an agreement on their own, the fate of the alimony issue is decided by the court. When deciding if and how much alimony is necessary, if any, the court considers the following factors, amongst others:

• Each party’s earning capacity
• The parties’ ages and physical and mental health
• The parties’ standard of living during the marriage
• The work experience, vocational skills and educational levels of the dependent spouse
• The earning capacity and ability of the payer spouse to make alimony payments
• The length of the marriage
• The needs of both parties

Beyond earning potential, the court will also consider the situation of both spouses in terms of separate and marital property, debts, age, health, and standard of living. It also will factor in which parent has custody of minor children, the amount of money each spouse can be expected to earn, the length of time it will take an unemployed spouse to be properly trained to enter the job market and how long it may take to find one.

What Types Of Alimony Exist In Hawaii?

Hawaii law recognizes multiple spousal support categories serving different purposes based on specific circumstances:

• Temporary alimony: Courts award this transitional support during divorce but before final decree entry. It helps bridge the gap between separation and dissolution, covering immediate living expenses during litigation. Temporary orders terminate upon final divorce judgment unless converted to another support type.
• Rehabilitative alimony: This support assists dependent spouses in developing employment skills or completing education, enabling self-sufficiency. Courts typically award rehabilitative maintenance when the recipient possesses the capacity to become financially independent with training or credential completion. Awards include timeframes for achieving employment goals, with support terminating upon reaching those objectives or expiration of the designated period.
• Permanent alimony: Reserved for marriages of substantial duration where the dependent spouse cannot achieve self-support due to age, health or extended absence from the workforce. Despite the “permanent” designation, these orders remain modifiable upon showing significant circumstance changes and typically terminate upon recipient remarriage or either party’s death.

Hawaii courts retain discretion in selecting appropriate support based on marriage length, earning capacities and other statutory factors.

Our Collaborative Approach Improves Spousal Support Negotiations

Rather than defaulting to litigation, we emphasize collaborative resolution methods for alimony determinations. Mediation allows both parties to participate actively in crafting support terms addressing their unique situations while maintaining control over outcomes. This cooperative approach typically reduces legal costs, shortens resolution timelines and preserves relationships – especially important when children are involved.

Our attorneys facilitate productive negotiations by preparing comprehensive financial analyses demonstrating income, expenses and asset positions. We help clients understand realistic support expectations based on statutory factors while exploring creative solutions that litigation might not accommodate. For couples committed to minimizing conflict, collaborative processes often yield more satisfactory results than judge-imposed orders.

What Should You Expect During Alimony Negotiations?

Spousal support negotiations require extensive financial disclosure from both parties. Expect to provide recent tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements, retirement account documentation and expense records establishing your financial circumstances. Your spouse must furnish comparable information enabling informed negotiations.

Discussions focus on calculating reasonable support amounts, balancing the recipient’s needs against the payor’s ability to provide alimony while maintaining a reasonable living standard. Negotiations address payment duration, modification conditions and termination events like remarriage or cohabitation.

Throughout alimony negotiations, we advocate for fairness by highlighting strong evidence while remaining open to reasonable compromises to prevent expensive litigation. 

Alimony Considerations

During alimony consultations, our Honolulu alimony lawyer often fields and answers questions regarding the financial logistics of how that spousal support payment affects other income. Some resulting financial impacts of alimony to keep in mind are:

• Alimony cannot be dismissed or otherwise forgiven by a bankruptcy filing
• Alimony may affect the amount of child support the spouse is entitled to

Contact Our Honolulu Alimony Lawyer Today

Our Honolulu alimony attorneys will be able to provide you with specific cost impacts as they pertain to your alimony case during your free initial consultation. We have written the book on divorce and how to limit the financial and emotional damage it can cause. Learn how we can help you divorce with decency and move on with your life.

Need help with alimony in Oahu and the neighboring islands? Reach out to a Honolulu alimony attorney from Coates Frey & Hackett, AAL LLLC, at 808-379-3538 or complete our simple contact form to schedule a free initial consultation.