Helping Couples Navigate Spousal Support
During a pending divorce, dissolution or legal separation, one spouse may be ordered to pay the other spouse a monthly amount of money to cover living expenses. Spousal support or spousal maintenance may be ordered to continue after the divorce, dissolution or legal separation is final. The family law firm of Dietz Family Law PLLC in Edgewood, Kentucky, works with clients to help them understand how spousal support will factor into their divorce proceedings – whether a spouse is ordered to pay it or a spouse is expecting to receive it. Lead attorney Stephanie A. Dietz has experience with a large number of divorce cases involving spousal maintenance.How Is Spousal Support Determined?
Unlike child support, no formula is employed to determine whether the court will order support of a spouse or, if so, what the amount would be or how long it should last. In Kentucky and Ohio, there are factors for the court to consider in determining whether spousal support or maintenance is appropriate on a case-by-case basis.Some factors that determine the amount of support include:
- The incomes of the parties, as well as their earning capacities
- If the couple has children
- What the parties’ lifestyle and standard of living was before the divorce
- If additional support might be required down the road
The amount for support might be ordered to be paid monthly or it could be required to be paid as a single lump sum.
