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How to Calculate Alimony Payments

Friday, May 30, 2008
Related Tags: alimony | marriage | payments | judge | award
 

Instructions

  • Step 1:
    Calculate the number of years the marriage lasted. The length of the marriage is an important consideration for a judge in awarding alimony payments. Some states have minimum requirements to even consider alimony, such as Texas, where the minimum number of years you must be married to qualify for alimony is 10.
  • Step 2:
    Decide who the main breadwinner was in the marriage. If one spouse earned a significantly larger salary than the other, a judge may award alimony to the weaker-earning spouse to help him get on his feet. This is usually referred to as rehabilitative alimony.
  • Step 3:
    Consider if young children are involved. Many times a judge will award temporary alimony to a spouse who has been solely responsible for staying home to raise young children for the duration until the children begin school, allowing the spouse to re-enter the workforce.
  • Step 4:
    Report why the marriage ended. Several states do not award alimony payments to spouses found guilty of infidelity or other faulty offenses.
  • Step 5:
    Determine the financial ability of the spouse to pay. A judge will consider income, debts, assets and future earning capacities to help determine the amount of the alimony payments, if any.

How to Calculate Alimony Payments Provided by eHow.com
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