Spousal Support – The Lowdown

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SPOUSAL SUPPORT THE LOWDOWN Spousal support is
one of the names given to the situation in which
an ex-husband, wife or civil partner is ordered
by law to financially support their newly
divorced partner. Other names for this, for
clarification, are alimony and spousal
maintenance. When a marriage or civil
partnership ends in divorce or separation,
agreements are made between the two parties in
order to ensure each of them are treated fairly
and come out of the relationship with their
dignity and personal items intact. Of course,
this is not always the case. One party may have
been accused of something which hampers their
chances of this happening, or one may have not
been represented well enough to help make this
happen. When one half of the separated couple is
unable to support themselves or their family
alone, the other half may be ordered to pay
monthly installments to support them. This is
essentially what spousal support is. The amount
that this spousal support will be is variable,
depending on a wide range of circumstances.
These can be as small as wages, number of
dependents and living arrangements. Spousal
support is in addition to other maintenance
payments that come from the ex-partner or
elsewhere, such as child support and housing
benefit, so this is also considered during this
time. It is not always a given that ex-spouses
will have to pay spousal support, and it is not
always the case that they would not. As
mentioned, there are a lot of variables, but if
the spousal support is ordered, it is usually a
top up or extra payment in order for their
ex-partner to be able to live as they should, as
reasonably judged by the court. As for the
length of time that this spousal support will
need to be paid is also dependent on
circumstances. It could be that the payments
will stop when a dependent is no longer deemed as
dependent, or until the ex-partners personal
finances change. If the person receiving spousal
support remarries, the payments are no longer a
requirement, but this does not count if the
couple are only living together. The
repercussions of failure to pay spousal support
payments is a very serious matter. Chances are
given to the party in order to make up for missed
payments, but it is the same as failing to pay
for utilities or mortgages.
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If the party feels as though their payments are
too high, or that circumstances have changed,
they can appeal the rulings, or both parties can
make a new agreement legally together. Spousal
support is not a definite issue in a divorce or
legal separation, unless one party is deemed to
be financially worse off on a personal level.
What this level is subjective, and decided on by
the legal teams involved, though a persons
needs are more than putting food on the
table. Ambitions and comforts are also taken into
account. Spousal support may not be something
you will need to think about, but it never hurts
to know what could be on the discussion table
during a legal separation.
Source http//www.10uworldseriespbg.com/lawyer/sp
ousal-support-the-lowdown/