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Why is alimony more complex to calculate than child support?

On Behalf of | Feb 20, 2019 | Property Division

When going through a divorce, two important factors are the calculation of alimony and the calculation of child support. These can have a big impact on the standard of living for both spouses after the divorce has been finalized.

It is important to understand how both of these court-ordered payments are calculated. By understanding this, you will be more empowered to influence the decision-making processes in order to get the best possible decision for you.

How is child support calculated?

Generally speaking, child support is very easy to calculate. This is because there is a specific calculation that is used to determine child support, and it tends to be based on a couple of variables: the parents’ incomes.

How is alimony calculated?

Alimony calculation is significantly more complex than child support calculations because it takes into account many different variables. These variables include the standard of living that each spouse had before the divorce was filed for. This means that the courts will do what they can to try to help each spouse to afford a similar standard of living, making neither spouse unfairly worse off.

In order to ensure this, an evaluation will need to be carried out on each spouse’s current income and prospective income. In addition, each spouse’s contribution to the marriage will be assessed, both from a financial and nonfinancial perspective.

If you want to make sure that you are awarded a fair alimony order, it is important that you are able to present information that will help your case. Make sure that you understand the law fully so that you can achieve this.

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