It might be different from state to state, but in Florida, the Ex can ask for alimony after the divorce is final if her income changes. Actually, you can ask a court for anything, but this was NEVER a freak out for me. And I want to share why. Note this also applies during divorce process. If your Ex or STBXW is asking for alimony, it all comes down to money. First, the idea of same standard of living is crap. What every judge knows is it's that each if you should have the same standard of living, but most likely less than when you were married. She asks for money but works. Judge will consider her income and if she is working appropriately. A doctor working at McDonald's is a red flag. A doctor that gets fired is still capable of earning doctor money. But it's up to you to prove it. Here we can ask the judge to order a vocational assessment (at our cost). Someone somewhere gets her resume (by court order) and may interview her. Then that person shops her resume around town. Not to find her a job, but to find out how much she might be capable of making. That amount (or amount within a range) is then subtracted from the alimony request. I didn't have to go through with all of that because when her lawyer told mine he would be filing, mine told him exactly what we would do. And she would get nothing. Make sure to talk to your lawyer about this strategy in your state.