Factors That Determine Alimony and Help You Set Your Support
There are many factors that determine alimony when you and your spouse are no longer together. Alimony is a very important factor in a variety of divorces, as spouses always have a legal obligation to support one another financially. Family courts help determine how much alimony should be paid to you through “equity,” which means that a judge looks at all the facts present in your case when they come to their decision.
Factors That Determine Alimony
You may wonder how alimony will be decided. The judge looks at many factors, starting with the earning capacity of each party and the standard of living when you and your spouse were still living together. Some other factors that are considered include the marketable skills, job market, time and expense for further training, and so much more when it comes to the spouse who needs alimony and how much they will need in support.
Another factor to be considered is the extent in which the supported party assisted in education, licensing, and careers as far as the supporting party is concerned. Other factors on top of this include the ownership of assets, duration of the marriage, interests of the children, histories of domestic violence and other crimes, goals of becoming self-supporting, and more.
When Certain Factors Change
What happens if the paying spouse starts to receive less money from their job, or the receiving spouse gets a better job and can support themselves? A change in alimony may be needed, which is something that happens in time when a spouse becomes self-supporting. The judge will ultimately be the party that decides to grant or deny that request. Otherwise, alimony will continue on as it does, and the spouse who pays should not change anything about payments until they hear more information.
You may need the assistance of an attorney on either end when you are going through new alimony and you aren’t sure how it works. There are many factors that determine alimony. Talk to us today about your case and how you can get started after a divorce.