Some of the most commonly asked questions of divorce attorneys in Florida involve alimony. Spouses are concerned they will be stuck with alimony payments for years, or that they will receive an insufficient amount of alimony to be able to pay their expenses.
In general, to determine a rough estimate of alimony you will add together the gross incomes of both spouses, and divide by two to get the average income. Take the lower income and subtract it from the average income that you already calculated. Multiply that number by a fraction ranging from 1/10 to 1/5 (which represents the range of alimony awards typically given in Pasco County).
That will give you an estimated range of annual payments that could be awarded by a judge to the spouse with the lower income. If you want to know the amount per month, just divide the annual amount by 12.
Although these are rough guidelines, alimony is very fact dependent. How long you were married makes a big difference in alimony awards, as well as how old the spouses are. If one spouse has few employment options, this can result in alimony. If one spouse quit working in order to raise a family, this fact is usually taken into account when determining alimony. The lifestyle the couple maintained while married is also usually considered in awarding alimony.
Alimony can be a huge burden to the spouse who is paying it, as well as a huge blessing to the spouse receiving it. It’s often one of the most contentious issues that arise during a divorce. If you are contemplating divorce, it’s critical that you seek an experienced Florida divorce attorney to fight for your rights.