How does the Court Calculate Spousal Support?
A spouse’s obligation to support the other spouse may continue even after the divorce. If one spouse has very little income and the other has the ability to contribute to the low income spouse’s support, the court will usually award spousal support. Spousal support is available to either a husband or wife. The court will look to see who has the more substantial income. One of the major factors a court will consider is does the primary wage earner in the family have sufficient income to support the other spouse. The court is looking to maintain the level to which the spouses were accustomed to during the marriage. Courts will consider the length of the marriage, whether the spouse put his or her own education or career on hold to raise the parties’ children, did the spouse achieve a higher level of income based on the other spouses sacrifice, health issues and a number of other factors in determining the length and amount of spousal support.
