Spousal support, also known as alimony, is nothing more than a monthly payment made from one spouse to another after a divorce. While this sounds simple enough, there is a lot that goes into the process of determining if one party should pay alimony after a divorce.
Whether or not you qualify for alimony depends on many factors. If you’re a woman married to a man, you’ll want to answer the following questions:
- How long were you married to your husband?
- Did you forgo a career because you stayed at home to raise your children?
- Do you have limited education and work experience because of your joint decision to be a stay at home mom?
The many types of alimony
Alimony in real life is not the same as what you see on television. There is more to this than one person paying the other a large sum of money every month.
For example, there is more than one type of alimony. In some cases, you may qualify to receive temporary support, meaning that you will receive payments until you’re able to receive the training necessary to support yourself. Permanent alimony may also come into play.
There is also something known as lump sum alimony. As the name implies, this means that your ex-husband will pay you one lump sum as opposed to monthly payments. This may or may not work in your favor, but it’s definitely something to consider during the divorce process.
The court will consider many factors
Unlike child support, for which each state has set guidelines, there is more gray area associated with alimony. Here are some of the many factors the court will consider:
- The age of both individuals.
- The physical and emotional condition of both spouses.
- The length of the marriage.
- The standard of living while you were married.
- The ability of the person paying alimony to do so while still supporting oneself.
As a woman going through divorce, you may want to look into your ability to receive alimony from your ex-husband. There is no guarantee that this will happen, but you at least need to learn more about the process of requesting spousal support. With so many factors associated with the final decision, you can’t afford to overlook any detail.
