If you are facing a financial crisis that requires courts to decide on a permanent distribution of your marital assets, the laws applicable to your situation can be confusing and complex. If you read enough about it, you may be confused about when a court can award alimony and when it cannot. For example, in Pennsylvania, alimony is awarded in several situations: when one spouse is supporting the other, when a spouse has significantly contributed to the education, training, or career advancement of the other spouse, when a spouse has earned significantly less than the other spouse, or when a spouse has the ability to retrain or find a new career.
So, what qualifies you for alimony in PA?
Alimony is a piece of the divorce equation that often perplexes people. While there are many variables that determine how much money a judge will award a spouse, there are some basic factors that are almost always present. The primary purpose of alimony is to help a spouse gain financial independence, which is why it is vital to understand all the factors that impact alimony. Most people who are awarded alimony initially ask why it is necessary because they can get on their feet financially with little effort.
Understanding What is Alimony
Alimony is a form of spousal support that a court decides is fair and reasonable under the circumstances in order to preserve the family unit after a divorce. In many cases, one spouse must pay alimony to the other spouse to maintain the other spouse’s standard of living during the marriage. Alimony may be paid in the form of periodic payments, such as monthly alimony or lump sum alimony.
Three Types of Alimony in Pennsylvania
Alimony is short for alimony pendente lite, which is alimony that is paid until the divorce is final. It is named for the Latin phrase pendente lite, meaning “while litigation is pending.” This does not mean there is an ongoing legal dispute in the divorce case. The finalization of the divorce is the final step in the court case. The other type of alimony is spousal support, which is a type of payment to a spouse who may not be working or earning income. The court may order spousal support if one spouse is not earning income because the other spouse has the ability to earn income but is not working. Spousal support may be paid for a period of time. These are spousal support, alimony pendente lite, and alimony. Spousal support is alimony that is paid before a divorce, while alimony pendente lite is alimony that is paid during the pendency of a divorce. Alimony, which is the support that is paid after a divorce, is calculated based on a list of factors.
How Is Alimony Calculated in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is one of the first states to have a law governing alimony, which can be awarded to a wife who is financially dependent on her husband. Like other states, Pennsylvania law defines alimony as “an order of support, other than child support and spousal support, or an award of separate maintenance,” that one spouse pays the other. One key difference in Pennsylvania is the fact that the spouse who pays alimony has the right to receive it periodically, and alimony may be modified in some circumstances.
Alimony is the money that a person receives from their ex-spouse after the divorce in exchange for support in the previous marriage. Alimony is calculated in two different manners in Pennsylvania.
The first manner is by dividing the net income of the party receiving the alimony by the number of years the party paid into the marriage and then applying the Federal Alimony Reform Act (ALRA) (formerly known as the Federal Alimony Reform Act of 1997). The second manner is by using the marital property formula.
Alimony is an important topic for Pennsylvania couples going through a divorce, as it’s one of the many issues that can impact a couple’s lives. Alimony is simply a form of spousal support, which is the money you pay to your ex-spouse after the divorce is finalized. It’s a money payment, but not a permanent one. Alimony can be issued to a person who is under a certain income level or can be adjusted based on the changes in the couple’s combined income during the time of the order.
To know more about divorce proceedings such as whether the length of marriage affects a divorce settlement, try hiring reliable divorce attorneys in PA to help you out.
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