If you find yourself going through the divorce process, it won’t be long before you have questions about what will happen to your financial situation.
While you need to handle many of these questions on your own, there are others that will move to the forefront along the way. For example, you may have questions about spousal support, including whether or not you are in position to receive these payments.
As one of our North Carolina readers, there’s something you need to know: There is no formula for calculating alimony. It’s up to the judge to make a final decision on spousal support, meaning that you should learn more about the factors that are taken into consideration.
Some of the many factors that a judge will consider include:
- The length of the marriage
- The income earned by both individuals during the marriage
- The earning potential of each individual
- The contribution of a homemaker (stay-at-home mom)
- The standard of living that was established during the marriage
- The reason for the divorce, such as infidelity or some other type of misconduct
As you can imagine, the outcome of a spousal support determination can have a major impact on both individuals. This is why you need to learn more about your legal rights, to ensure that you take all the necessary steps along the way.
If you feel that you should receive spousal support, you need to keep this in the back of your mind as the divorce process begins. It’s something that you will want to fight for along the way, as receiving these payments could provide you with stability in the months and years to come.
As long as you understand how spousal support works and what to expect, you can prepare yourself for success.