Those who are facing a divorce may have concerns regarding their transition to single life. If a married couple each has drastically different income levels, one of them may qualify to receive spousal support.
Spousal support is a complex issue and the courts will consider several factors to determine if who is eligible. Additionally, there are many different types of spousal support in California. Most are temporary, but permanent alimony may be appropriate in certain situations.
Different types of spousal support
According to FindLaw, the following list includes different types of spousal support available in California:
• Temporary support is payment from one spouse to another, before finalization of an order
• Lump-sum alimony replaces traditional payments with a lump-sum which is meant to replace a property settlement
• Rehabilitative alimony includes regular payments to one spouse until he or she becomes self-supporting
• Reimbursement alimony pays for one spouse’s expenses, such as tuition, while he or she attempts to become self-supporting
• Permanent alimony continues until the paying spouse dies or the receiving spouse remarries
Factors courts consider during an alimony ruling
According to the California Courts website, a judge does not utilize a formula to determine eligibility for spousal support. Instead, the judge will consider several factors, some of which include the following:
• The length of the marriage
• What each spouse needs to maintain his or her current standard of living
• Monetary and non-monetary contributions of each spouse to the marriage
• Whether one spouse paid for the other’s education or career path
Additionally, the courts may determine that one spouse should receive alimony simply because it would be an undue hardship to seek employment while raising children.