The Deciding Factors Behind Alimony

There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding alimony when deciding to plunge into the divorce process.  Do I need it?  How much will I get?  How long can I get it for?  What is it?  These are all legitimate questions that are asked. 

Let's start by defining what alimony is in Arizona.  In Arizona, alimony is often referred to as spousal support or spousal maintenance. Spousal support is an area of family law which uses complex calculations to determine need the amount to be paid and the duration of support to either spouse. The question of spousal support is often one of the most difficult issues people face when they are involved in divorce or legal separation proceedings.

So what is spousal support exactly?  Well spousal support is an amount of money one spouse pays to the other spouse to support them.  It is usually for a determined length of time though it can be indefinitely paid in some cases. The intent of spousal support is to assist a spouse in meeting his or her reasonable needs when those needs cannot be met through employment or property.

Spousal support may be awarded to a husband or wife in Arizona for any of a number of reasons. The amount and duration of support is usually determined by the court and is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

With that being said there are several factors considered when determining the amount of spousal support to award. Some of those are:

- The ability of the spouse to provide for his or her reasonable needs through employment or property.
- The age or condition of children for whom the spouse is the caregiver.
- The length of time needed to re-educate for the workforce.
- The duration of the marriage.
- The standard of living during the marriage.
- The age of the spouse and his or her ability to become gainfully employed due to age.

For more information on how spousal support is awarded and calculated call Discount Divorce & Bankruptcy for a FREE consultation.

The experienced family and bankruptcy document prepares at Discount Divorce assists clients throughout Arizona, including the cities of Ahwatukee, Apache Junction, Avondale, Bisbee, Buckeye, Bullhead City, Camp Verde, Casa, Cottonwood, Douglas, Eloy, Grande, Carefree, Cave Creek, Chandler, El Mirage, Flagstaff, Florence, Fountain Hills, Gila Bend, Gilbert, Glendale, Globe, Goodyear, Gudalupe, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Litchfield Park, Marana, Maricopa, Mesa, Nogales, Oro Valley, Paradise Valley, Payson, Peoria, Phoenix, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Queen Creek, Safford, San Luis, Scottsdale, Sierra Vista, South Tucson, Snow Flake, Sun City, Surprise, Tempe, Tolleson, Tucson, Waddell, Wickenburg, Winslow, Youngtown and Yuma.

Visit www.discountdivorcepro.com or call (602) 896-9020. Discount Divorce is located at 13817 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85023-6105.

As always you should seek legal advice for specific issues like the one above before coming to Discount Divorce to have your documents done and processed so that your legal rights may be protected.