When an alimony agreement is first created, the court will usually examine the financial capabilities of the divorcing spouses to determine if both will be able to be self-sufficient after their marriage is dissolved. If one spouse makes a much lower income than the other, or has other economic considerations such as childcare costs, they may be found eligible to receive scheduled payments from their former spouse.
However, in Tennessee, a significant change in circumstances can warrant a modification to a legal agreement such as a spousal support contract. Examples of a circumstantial change could be that the recipient spouse got a higher paying job, the paying spouse lost their employment, or a child that previously lived with the recipient moved to a new residence. In these cases, it may become obvious that the current alimony contract is not sustainable or capable of serving its intended purpose, so an individual may petition a Chattanooga court to make a spousal support modification.