There are a lot of myths surrounding alimony, how it works, what it is, and why it is a part of the divorce process in the first place. You may be wondering if you have to pay alimony at all, and if so, how much of your income you will have to spend on the checks. The reality of the matter is that alimony is decided in a variety of different ways, and there are several factors to consider in order to understand how it may work in your situation.
Alimony Requires More than Just a Calculator
A lot of couples think that they can put their incomes into a calculator to determine the amount of alimony they’ll have to pay out. However, there are a lot of other factors that go into deciding the right amount of alimony. Attorneys are the ones who conduct this comparison, and they include factors such as:
- How long the marriage lasted
- The income and employment of each spouse
- How much each spouse contributed to the education, career advancement, or training of the other spouse
- The standard of living upheld during the marriage
- The age of the spouses
- The health of the spouses
- Which hardships are balanced between the two spouses
It can be difficult at first to weigh these factors, and it is clear that it requires more than just a computer to do the work.
Alimony Is Not an Inherent Right
Just because two couples are getting divorced, doesn’t mean that alimony is a guaranteed right. It is not a mandatory factor in divorce cases, but it is common for most of them. The court decides whether or not an individual will receive alimony. Many factors highlighted in Family Code section 4320 can determine if a family is eligible for alimony, if one couple owes the other, or if the alimony should be denied completely.
Sort Your Alimony Requirements through a Certified Divorce Lawyer
If you are having trouble figuring out whether or not alimony is going to be required in your specific divorce case, you can do some research to find a solution that works best for you and your ex-spouse. At the law office of Fedor Kozlov, P.C., there are several resources available to help you determine what your alimony may look like. Your best step is to get in contact with our Hoffman Estates divorce lawyers to start a divorce case and set up all the necessary paperwork so that the judge can determine whether or not alimony is necessary.
