Spousal Maintenance

Minneapolis Spousal Maintenance Lawyer

When a marriage comes to an end, there are cases where one person may need to have continued financial support from the other in the form of spousal maintenance, also called alimony. In the not so distant past, the husband would pay alimony to his wife, but there has been a rise in dual-income households, resulting in spousal maintenance being paid by the spouse making more money.

If you need to file for divorce or your spouse already has, an experienced Minneapolis divorce attorney can help you throughout the process, including with spousal maintenance matters. It is very important that you have the guidance that you need in order to secure the best result in the matter.

Helping You Plan For The Future

There are different types of spousal maintenance and they are permanent spousal maintenance and temporary spousal maintenance. Temporary only lasts for a certain period of time, typically lasting just long enough for the person receiving payments to rebuild themselves financially. This could mean going to school, working toward a promotion at work, or finding better employment.

Permanent spousal maintenance usually does not cease until the recipient gets married again, one of the parties passes away, or the court decides to terminate support at a later date.

Advocating For The Proper Outcome

There are a number of factors that are taken into account in order to determine the proper amount of support. Those factors include:

• The financial resources of the spouse seeking support, including any marital property that they receive. The court also looks at the party’s ability to meet their needs independently, as well as any children living with them.
• The time that is needed for the receiving party to receive the education or training that they need to adequately support themselves.
• The standard of living that was established during the marriage.
• How long the marriage lasted and, if the receiving spouse was a homemaker, the length of time that spouse was absent from employment and the extent in which their skills become outdated, as well as their experience or education.
• The loss of income, retirement benefits, seniority, and other employment opportunities.
• The age, emotional, and physical condition of the spouse seeking support.
• The ability of the spouse paying support to meet their needs and the needs of the spouse seeking support.
• The contribution of each spouse in the acquisition, depreciation, appreciation, and preservation of property, as well as the contribution of the homemaker spouse in the furtherance of the other party’s business or employment.

The court never considers “fault” as part of how much spousal maintenance is received. To ensure that all income and property documentation is received, your St. Paul & Minneapolis divorce lawyer will help you account for everything so that the proper amount of support can be calculated.

Contact A Minnesota Divorce Lawyer

Spousal maintenance is an important part of a divorce decree when it’s necessary. This is because it is the support that one party receives from the higher earning party who may have been the primary earner in the household. If you are facing divorce, need to file, or you must address spousal maintenance matters, the Gilbert Law Office, PLLC can help you. To learn more about the options available to you, call 612-564-3622 for a free consultation.