Charlotte Spousal Support Attorneys

Serving Clients in Waxhaw and Surrounding Areas

In the past, alimony, more familiarly known as spousal support, was a very common part of most divorces. Traditionally, the husband worked, and the wife stayed at home to care for the kids and do the housework. In this dynamic, a wife would need to rely on her husband for spousal support as she, typically, did not have any other means of generating an income.

For that reason, most husbands who sought divorce had to pay both spousal support and child support. Even if both parties did not have children, the husband might still need to pay spousal support to his ex-wife for the rest of her life, unless she remarried, got a job, or came into money of her own.

Today, both husbands and wives tend to have jobs, and often similar incomes, so spousal support is not always necessary in most divorce cases. However, there are still marriages where one party is the stay-at-home parent and, as a result, may have less job experience and transferable skills than his/her spouse. Also, there could be a discrepancy in income if both spouses work but one is paid at a much higher rate than the other. This spouse could be at a disadvantage when it comes to paying bills and maintaining the lifestyle he/she has become accustomed to.

How to Determine Spousal Support

Judges have broad discretion when determining spousal support. Before a judge decides, he/she will want to know if either spouse committed illicit sexual behavior during the marriage or before the couple’s date of separation. If the dependent spouse is found guilty, he/she will deny spousal support. If the supporting spouse is found guilty, the judge will immediately award spousal support.

If there are no illicit sexual acts to consider, the court will determine spousal support based on but not limited to the following factors:

• The duration of the marriage
• Marital misconduct (abandonment, abuse, alcoholism, substance abuse, etc.)
• The age and health of each spouse
• The earning capacity of each spouse
• The martial standard of living
• The sources of income for each spouse
• Whether one spouse contributed to the other’s education
• The property owned by each spouse

Modifying Spousal Support

You can modify spousal support if there is a change of circumstances that makes the current order unfair. A change of circumstances can be defined as a new job, new child, or loss of a job. Spousal support ends once the dependent spouse remarries or starts to cohabitate with another individual.

Give us a Call Today

If you are going through a divorce and need help figuring out how spousal support works and what you might owe or are entitled to, address your concerns with our firm. We will walk you through every step and determine your options to help protect you and your loved ones.

Reach out online or call us at (704) 286-0570 to book an initial consultation.