In Illinois, what you likely think of as alimony is called spousal support or maintenance, and if your divorce creates a financial imbalance between you and your ex, this support can play an important role. If you’re facing a divorce and have questions or concerns related to spousal support, don’t wait to consult with an experienced Chicago spousal support lawyer.Â
Spousal support is intended to help balance any financial discrepancies between divorcing spouses. If divorce leaves one ex without financial independence and if the other spouse has the financial means to help offset this, spousal support may be ordered. Generally, spousal support is intended to help the recipient obtain the job skills, training, or education necessary to support himself or herself financially. The court takes many factors into consideration, some being the duration of the marriage, the parties’ respective income, and the allocation of the marital estate.
The duration and amount of this maintenance, also known as spousal support are calculated according to highly specific state guidelines, and wide-ranging factors are taken into consideration in determining whether or not spousal support is appropriate, to begin with. Generally, the longer the marriage and the more the would-be recipient of the spousal support contributed to the other’s career success, the more likely it is that there will be a spousal support order and the longer its duration is likely to be.
Those factors that the court takes into careful consideration when determining if spousal support will be ordered include:
From here, if spousal support is deemed appropriate, the court will plug the relevant numbers into the spousal support calculator to determine the amount and duration of the spousal support in question. Only if the marriage is twenty years or longer will permanent spousal support (or support that lasts the length of the marriage) be an option.Â
If you are facing a concern related to spousal maintenance, the resourceful Chicago spousal support lawyers at WARD FAMILY LAW, LLC, are on your side and committed to skillfully advocating for a resolution that upholds your financial rights and that reflects your contributions to your marriage. To learn more about what we can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
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