How does a court decide the issue of maintenance (alimony)?
Need. A court may not award alimony unless 1) the spouse asking for it does not have as much property as they need to support her or him; and 2)the needy spouse cannot get a job and support himself or herself, or needs to stay home and care for a special-needs child. Amount. The amount of alimony and the number of months or years it will last depend on what the court decides after considering: How much the person needs it; How much time it would take the person to get trained for a job and become self-supporting; The couples standard of living during the marriage; The length of the marriage; The age and health of the needy spouse; The ability of the non-needy spouse to meet the others needs as well as their own.
