Attorneys Answer: 5 Frequently Asked Questions About Alimony

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Alimony or spousal support offers financial support for former spouses under certain conditions&period; The payments are calculated according to the income of each spouse&period; The laws dictate if the ex-spouse qualifies for the support and has a financial need to substantiate their request&period; State and military laws apply in some cases and could impose some limitations on who gets alimony&period; Petitioners who want to submit a request for the payments review 5 frequently asked questions about alimony before they proceed&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Can a Spouse Receive Alimony During the Divorce Proceedings&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Yes&comma; a spouse files a request to get alimony during the divorce proceedings temporarily&period; It’s called pendente lite&period; The purpose of the alimony payments is to prepare the spouse for life after the divorce&period; The payments help them adjust to the new reality of separating their lives from their spouse and any further financial support&period; Attorneys&comma; such as <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;deshonpullenlaw&period;com&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">DeShon Laraye Pullen<&sol;a> help clients submit the request for pendente lite alimony and calculate the payments&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>What Types of Alimony is Available&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Currently&comma; there are different types of alimony available to former spouses&period; First&comma; separation alimony is paid when a couple is legally separated&comma; and the other party is unable to support themselves financially&period; The payments stop after the divorce&comma; or they are changed to a different type&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Rehabilitative alimony is awarded when a former spouse doesn’t have the skills to achieve the same lifestyle available during the marriage&period; It is paid to the spouse until their earning capacity increases through an educational program&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Permanent alimony is paid throughout the former spouse’s life in some cases&period; It is provided when the former spouse has a permanent disability&comma; doesn’t possess adequate job skills&comma; or has no employment history because they were raising children or were a homemaker&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>What are the Requirements for Receiving Alimony&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;family&period;findlaw&period;com&sol;divorce&sol;questionnaire-are-you-entitled-to-alimony-spousal-support&period;html" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">The qualifications for alimony<&sol;a> vary according to the type of alimony a spouse requests&period; Permanent alimony is awarded according to the duration of the marriage&period; In some states&comma; the request is denied unless the couple was married for ten years&period; The national average for permanent alimony is around seven years of marriage&comma; but some states are stricter when awarding it&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The standard requirements include a financial need for support&period; However&comma; some states require alimony to help a spouse achieve the same lifestyle they had during the marriage&period; In some cases&comma; a spouse avoids alimony by offering to pay for a college education that increases their former spouse’s earning capacity&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>How is Spousal Support Managed for Military Spouses&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Military spouses are eligible for separation pay after the marriage ends&comma; and the couple no longer lives together&period; The payments continue until the divorce is final&period; Spouses who want to seek further alimony petition the court if they are eligible under the uniform code of military justice and current state laws&period; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;military&period;com&sol;money&sol;retirement&sol;military-retirement&sol;understanding-divorce-in-the-military&period;html" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">Military laws for alimony<&sol;a> explain that a spouse receives alimony if they have been married for at least 5 years&comma; have a financial need&comma; or have children with the military member&period; The laws prevent the combination of alimony and child support to exceed 60&percnt; of the service member’s income&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>When Does Permanent Alimony End&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The terms of the permanent alimony order define conditions in which the payments stop&period; The stipulations include the death of either spouse or if the spouse receiving the payments becomes remarried&period; When either condition is met&comma; the former spouse files a motion with the court to stop payments&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Alimony is provided to a former spouse when they need financial support&period; The duration of the marriage and local laws play a role in determining if the spouse qualifies for the payments&period; The type of alimony requested by the former spouse outlines how long they receive the money and conditions that stop their payments&period; Military laws apply in cases involving military personnel and outline all support required before&comma; during&comma; and after the divorce&period; Permanent alimony isn’t always a lifetime circumstance&comma; and some states stop the payments if the ex-spouse remarries&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;