How Courts Decide Spousal Support in Divorce

Spousal support, also called alimony, is not automatically granted during a divorce. Instead, courts look at several factors to decide if one spouse should get support, such as how much and for how long.

Here are some of the key things that courts consider:

Financial Situation

The court checks the income and property of both spouses. If the spouse asking for alimony has enough money or assets, support may not be needed.

Ability to Earn

The court looks at how much each spouse can earn. If the spouse seeking alimony can find a job or get more education to increase their income, that may reduce or limit support.

Lifestyle During Marriage

The court tries to maintain the same standard of living the couple had during the marriage, but adjustments are made based on the financial realities after the divorce.

Length of Marriage

Longer marriages may result in higher or longer-lasting alimony especially if one spouse has been out of the workforce for a long time.

Age and Health

If one spouse is older or in poor health and cannot work, this can lead to higher or longer-lasting support.

Behavior in Marriage

In Missouri, although it is a no-fault state, meaning fault does not matter for the divorce itself, bad financial behavior by one spouse might affect alimony decisions.

Alimony can be temporary, meant to help while the recipient gets back on their feet, or permanent in rare cases. It usually ends if the recipient remarries or either spouse passes away.

If you are going through a divorce and are worried about spousal support, it is important to get legal help. The attorneys at Kranitz, Sadoun & Carpenter, P.C. can guide you through divorce laws and make sure your interests are protected.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪 𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺.