When couples divorce, hard feelings can crop up over the way things ended and throughout the divorce process. One of the hottest topics of the proceedings is money and how it will get divided and handled going forward. Couples don’t often agree on how this split will occur, and it leaves one or the other with a bitter taste. Alimony is a difficult topic to address during legal proceedings as the person who has to pay often disagrees. How is alimony figured out during a divorce?
The Point of Alimony
Alimony is awarded based on need and other factors. The point behind it is to help one spouse who would not be able to survive and meet basic needs without the financial support of the other spouse.
The Duration of the Marriage
One requirement to note in regards to alimony eligibility is how long the marriage lasted. In most cases, a court will only order one person to pay the other if the marriage was long-lasting, which typically means a minimum of 10 years. Your alimony attorney orlando fl can help you understand if you will qualify.
The Contribution of the Parties to the Marriage
The request for alimony is considered seriously. The income between the parties is looked at, and if there is a disparity, the court will look at the reasons behind it. Is one spouse in a lower-earning job than the other? Did one spouse leave work for some time to take care of kids and allow the other to further his or her career? When one spouse is unemployed or underemployed due to raising a family for many years, the court is likely to award them appropriate alimony.
Whether you are paying alimony or receiving it, understand that the process to get there goes smoother if you can find some common ground. Divorce is a chance to start over and doing so on a positive note may make all the difference.