Calculating Your Alimony During A Divorce
Family Lawyer
Getting a divorce is already hard enough, but fighting for alimony can make it tricky. It can feel like a burden to the person who has to pay the alimony and it can be difficult if you are owed alimony and the other party is not paying. It is helpful to have more information on what alimony is, why a spouse would get it, and how it is calculated when you are about to embark on a divorce. If you have not had the opportunity to work or stayed home to raise your children, it can feel incredibly daunting to be the one to ask for some kind of spousal support. However, this is a completely fair request and you should speak with your lawyer when you are hoping to walk away from your marriage with alimony.
What is alimony?
Alimony is not put in place to be a punishment. The spouse who is paying should not feel that they are being punished for the marriage ending or for anything that happened during the marriage. Instead, it is there to help even the playing field. Many couples do not have fair or even wages. One parent may have quit their job or education to stay home and take care of children. Or, one of the spouses may be pursuing an education to get their dream job and not be able to work in their field yet. There are many reasons that a person may not be making as much as their spouse and asking for alimony can help with the transition after divorce.
How long will alimony last?
While some states may have more clear-cut rules regarding the length of alimony, this will be highly dependent on each couple and their circumstances after a divorce. As a trusted lawyer, like a family lawyer understands, alimony may last longer if the parent who needs it needs to continue their education to make a livable wage, is currently unable to make a livable wage, or must still stay at home to take care of the children.
In other circumstances, a wife may have quit working for one or two decades to support the family from home. In this case, a judge may say that the ex-husband now has to pay alimony to her for an undetermined amount of time which could mean until she remarries (and has support from someone else) or until she dies.
It is also possible that alimony payments may change depending on certain circumstances, so if you are the one paying alimony and you have become injured and cannot work or if you lost your job, you should speak with a lawyer, like one from The McKinney Law Group to see if you can change the amount you pay.
Is there always alimony in a divorce?
Not necessarily. When both people in the marriage are able to fully support themselves, held full-time jobs, and are married for a short period of time, a judge may determine that alimony is not needed because they can support themselves separately.
When you are going through a divorce, you should not feel that you have no options when it comes to getting a fair amount of spousal support. To see how a lawyer can help you with your questions and guide you through the alimony process, reach out to a law firm you can trust.