Brief Explanation of Alimony – What You Should Know

Statistics indicate that half of all marriages end in divorce. This means that the couple must assume separate lives and living expenses, which can place a heavy financial burden upon one of the pair due to many factors.

Every household is different, and though most modern households require both members of a married couple to contribute financially, this is not always the case. One of the pair may remain "at home" to raise the children, or one may be unable to work due to injury or illness. Additionally, both may contribute financially, but one may have significantly higher earning power than the other, and when a divorce occurs, the one with the smaller income may be unable to "get by" without some support. This is where alimony payments come in.

There is no formal or recognized format for determining alimony, and it varies from state to state and case by case. Most courts grant the judges a large measure of discretion to determine what they believe is a fair and accurate amount for each individual case.

The entire purpose of alimony is to avoid a potentially unjust division of assets, as well as unfair economic consequences. A judge will take into consideration all contributions made by both parties, for example if a wife put a husband through college, and then stayed home to raise a child, her earning power has been significantly diminished while his will only increase due to the education he received. A judge would take this into consideration, and be sure the wife would benefit from her sacrifice and support of her husband's career goals.

Additionally, for the example above a judge would also award child support, but that is an entirely different figure from alimony payments, which would only take marital assets into consideration when determining a proper amount for alimony




Skilled Sacramento divorce attorney Valerie Stroup understands family law Tracy, including Sacramento child support.