It doesn’t matter if you call it alimony, spousal support or spousal maintenance, the end result is all the same. This is when one spouse pays the other a monthly payment, either permanently or temporarily, following a divorce.
It is important to remember that alimony is not an automatic right. Just because you are going through divorce does not mean you will receive spousal support once the process is complete.
There are many factors that go into determining if one spouse will receive alimony. Furthermore, there are factors that help calculate how much the person will receive. These include but are not limited to:
— How long the two people were married.
— The health and age of both parties.
— The standard of living during the marriage.
— Future earning capacity of both parties.
— Cost of education for the person who was financially dependent during the marriage.
— The ability for each party to financially support themselves.
There are times when the non-wage earning spouse requires temporary alimony, which will provide support until he or she is able to find a job or earn a college degree. With longer marriages, there is a better chance the court will order one party to pay permanent alimony.
If you want to learn more about alimony, including how it is calculated, don’t hesitate to review the many pages of our website that cover this topic. You can begin your search for information and advice on our “Spousal Maintenance” webpage. It is here that you can learn the basics of alimony, including the most important details.
