Do voluntary payments set a precedent?
Yes, very often they do in terms of amount. If a supporting spouse has voluntarily been paying a certain amount for an extended period of time, it may be difficult to convince the court at a later time of an inability to pay that amount, unless there is proof of a substantial change in financial circumstances. By the same token, if the supported spouse accepts a certain amount and is able to live comfortably on the amount provided for an extended period of time, it will be equally difficult to convince the court of a need for a greater amount of support.
