When Minnesota couples decide to end their marriage, there are many issues to contend with. Not only will their assets likely be split, but there may also be issues regarding child custody and support, as well as who gets to stay in the marital home. Alimony is another issue that is commonly discussed. However, not every divorce involves spousal support. There must be evidence of financial need by one spouse coupled with the other spouse’s ability to pay.
This means that if both spouses are making the same amount of money, then alimony likely will not apply. However, if the husband ran a successful business while the wife stayed home to care for the children, for example, then she would most likely be able to claim alimony to make ends meet. Alimony is brought up in many celebrity divorce cases, especially ones in which one person is rich and famous while the other is a commoner. This is because it’s easy to get caught up in the millionaire lifestyle and once the marriage is over, the person often wants to continue his or her quality of life.
There are many factors to consider in order to determine if alimony is applicable in a divorce case. Does the spouse have a job? Is he or she attending school to learn new skills? Does he or she need to stay home to raise the children? Is he or she unable to work due to disability? Is he or she of retirement age and therefore unable to work any longer? These are questions that a spouse looking to receive alimony will be required to answer.
Sometimes alimony is temporary, lasting only a few months or years, while it is permanent in other cases, meaning it ends when the receiver remarries or dies. Health, education, job skills and child rearing will all be taken into consideration when the court makes it decision.
