§ 19-6-6.Liability after grant of alimony
Chapter 6. Alimony and Child Support · Article 1. General Provisions · Last amended 1979 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-6-6
Plain-English Summary
This section draws a financial line once permanent alimony is granted. Subsection (a) says the spouse who owes the alimony stops being liable for any debt or contract of the former spouse. From that point, the alimony award is the paying spouse’s support obligation, and the former spouse’s new debts and contracts are the former spouse’s own.
Subsection (b) protects the other side. When permanent alimony is granted, any property of the paying spouse that is set apart for the former spouse’s support is not subject to the paying spouse’s debts or contracts for as long as the former spouse lives. That matters because § 19-6-5 allows alimony to come from the corpus of the paying spouse’s estate. Property set aside that way cannot be taken by the paying spouse’s creditors while the supported spouse is alive.
Both rules apply only to permanent alimony. Temporary alimony under § 19-6-3 is not mentioned. And the section speaks to liability for the other spouse’s debts and contracts; it does not itself divide marital debts between the spouses. What happens to the alimony when the paying spouse dies is covered next, in § 19-6-7.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I responsible for my ex-spouse’s debts after alimony is granted in Georgia?
No. Under § 19-6-6(a), when permanent alimony is granted, the spouse liable for the alimony ceases to be liable for any debt or contract of the former spouse. The alimony award defines what the paying spouse owes. Debts and contracts the former spouse takes on are the former spouse’s own responsibility.
Can the paying spouse’s creditors take property set aside for my alimony?
No, not while you are alive. Section 19-6-6(b) says that once permanent alimony is granted, property of the paying spouse that is set apart for the former spouse’s support is not subject to the paying spouse’s debts or contracts as long as the former spouse lives. That shields alimony property from the paying spouse’s creditors.
Does this protection apply to temporary alimony?
The text does not say so. Both subsections of § 19-6-6 are tied to a grant of permanent alimony: the release from the former spouse’s debts and the protection of set-apart property both begin “when” or “upon” permanent alimony is granted. Temporary alimony, which § 19-6-3 governs while a case is pending, is not mentioned.
How long is property set apart for alimony protected from creditors?
For as long as the former spouse lives. Section 19-6-6(b) protects property of the paying spouse that is set apart for the former spouse’s support from the paying spouse’s debts or contracts “as long as the former spouse of the liable party shall live.” The protection is tied to the supported spouse’s lifetime, not to a set number of years.
What does “set apart for the support of the former spouse” mean?
It refers to property of the paying spouse that the alimony award earmarks for the former spouse’s support. Section 19-6-5(a) lets permanent alimony come from the corpus of the estate or otherwise, so an award may set aside specific property rather than, or in addition to, periodic payments. Under § 19-6-6(b), property set apart this way is beyond the reach of the paying spouse’s creditors while the former spouse lives.
Amendment History
Laws 1979, p. 466, § 20.
Formerly Code 1863, § 1697; Code 1868, § 1740; Code 1873, § 1750; Code 1882, § 1750; Civil Code 1895, § 2470; Civil Code 1910, § 2989; Code 1933, § 30-216.