What Spousal Support Means and Why It Matters

Understand what spousal support means and why it matters during divorce. Get essential insights on court-ordered financial aid.

What Spousal Support Means and Why It Matters

Sacramento, located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers in the Sacramento Valley, is known for being one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States. This bustling metropolis in the Central Valley of California was an important hub during the gold rush and has a thriving economy today.

If you’re someone who’s going through a divorce or know someone who is, one of the main components of ending your marriage will be spousal support. Obtaining spousal support in Sacramento can be easy if you contact and hire a professional spousal support or alimony attorney.

We’ll discuss why spousal support is crucial for you during divorce and how it impacts your life.

What is spousal support?

Spousal support is legally a court-ordered financial aid you provide for your ex-spouse or ex-partner to help cover their monthly expenses. There are many factors that decide which spouse gets the financial assistance and which one provides. Most commonly, the spouse with high income and the most net income supports the one with low income, who needs extra money to pay their bills.

Spousal support can be temporary or permanent. Temporary support, also known as interim maintenance, is given during divorce proceedings until the final settlement is decided, while permanent support is provided after the divorce is finalized.

The nature, duration, income disparity, and the whole dynamic of the marriage in general will decide how much and how long the spousal support should last.

Why spousal support matters?

Spousal support isn’t just guaranteed money to anyone during a divorce. The process is well calculated and determined after analyzing every unique divorce case and deciding who is more deserving of financial support based on many factors.

To address one’s sacrifice

Usually, in many marriages, there’s someone who works to provide for their family, having a career-oriented marriage with a stable income, and another one who may abandon their career to take care of their family, such as focusing on day-to-day household work and taking care of the kids until they reach a mature age.

Now, the partner who sacrificed their career to give all of them to the family couldn’t have had a job or a stable income source throughout the marriage. The net earning potential of this spouse is almost none. So, when the marriage ends, spousal support is a fair compensation addressing the sacrifice of the receiving spouse.

To provide holistic support

The compensation provided for lost opportunities of one spouse doesn’t just give them financial comfort; it also gives them mental and emotional comfort. When you have been out of a job for years and have to support yourself financially again, it can be hard to put yourself out there again and land a firm job. You need time to regain your skills and find your feet again.

Overall, spousal support’s main goal is to establish equity. The financial history of the couple is broken down to address the interdependencies formed during the marriage, and equitable compensation can be made based on those economic imbalances.

Key takeaways

• Spousal support is court-ordered financial aid to support an ex-partner. It can be temporary and permanent.
• Spousal support is provided to address one’s sacrifice and address economic disparities created during the marriage.
• Spousal support can be holistic, providing emotional and mental comfort economically.
• If you need help with spousal support, hire a spousal support attorney to get you the fair compensation you deserve.