My spouse wants spousal support, what is it? how much do I have to pay?
Spousal support is the support amount that you would have to pay monthly to your spouse. This amount is determined by a judge and usually lasts for half the duration of the marriage provided that you have been married under 10 years. If you have been married for over 10 years, other factors are taken into consideration. This may result in you having to pay your spouse for more than half the duration of the marriage and even possibly for life. A judge is likely to use the court guideline calculator for spousal support to determine the amount that you will end up paying.
However, family law judges do have discretion to either increase or decease that amount. The longer you have been married and the larger the discrepancy in income between you and your spouse will lead to a higher amount of support that you will have to pay. However, the judge only gets involved if there is a dispute over this amount. If you and your spouse can work out a number and both agree a judge will not get involved. Your spouse can actually even waive spousal support if he/she desires. It is always best to try and work things our amicably, but if you cannot there are strategies that you can employ to hopefully get to a good resolution. For more information on this or any of our legal services, please call us for a free legal consultation!
