People share a life together while they are married in Pennsylvania. If a couple ever divorces, they must split that shared life into two separate lives. This can be an emotional process as people end their relationship. However, during this emotional time, they must make very important decisions. They will need to make decisions regarding child custody and child support if they have minor children. All married couples will need to divide their possessions and in some divorces there will need to be decisions made regarding alimony.
While all divorces need to make these decisions as they separate their lives, the outcomes of the decisions will vary. Not all couples will end up with alimony orders. Also, in the divorces where one spouse pays alimony to the other the the amount they will pay and how long they will pay it varies greatly as well. The amount and duration are determined by analyzing a number of different factors.
Factors Used to Determine Alimony
The factors used to determine whether alimony will be ordered as well as the amount and duration include, but are not limited to:
The earing capacities of each spouse and their sources of income
The ages, physical and mental health of each spouse
How long the marriage lasted
The standard of living during the marriage
If one spouse stayed home with children while the other furthered their career
The assets and debts of each spouse
The economic needs of each spouse
The education and work history of each spouse and the amount of time it will take to obtain gainful employment
Alimony determinations in Pennsylvania are very fact specific. The various factors are analyzed to determine first whether there will be alimony and if so the amount and duration of the alimony. There is no mathematical formula or calculator that is used to determine alimony. Experienced attorneys understand how alimony is determined and how the specific circumstances of the marriage will be analyzed when determining alimony.