One of the details to arise during a divorce in New York is spousal maintenance. The court will decide which spouse should receive those payments, which are also known as alimony. Spousal maintenance is different from spousal support. You should know some information about it.
How is spousal maintenance different from spousal support?
Spousal maintenance is not the exact same thing as spousal support. There’s one big difference between the two as spousal maintenance is paid after a divorce. Spousal support is paid while the divorce is still in the process. Spousal maintenance is the same thing as alimony, but the term “alimony” usually carries negative connotations.
How does spousal maintenance work?
While a married couple is going through a divorce, spousal maintenance is determined in family court. The court will decide whether it’s warranted. If it is, the party who earns a higher income will be ordered to pay spousal maintenance to the other spouse. Certain other factors will be taken into consideration by the court: How long the marriage lasted, each person’s age and health, one party’s need to earn an education or professional training and the current and future earning capacity of each party are a few of them.
What are the different types of spousal maintenance?
There are three different types of spousal maintenance that can be awarded in New York. Spousal support is the payment arrangement that is ordered before the divorce occurs. The court may order that one spouse pay spousal support to the other when there’s a separation and one party has moved out of the marital home.
Temporary maintenance is also known as pendente lite maintenance. It’s ordered by the court after the divorce papers have been filed as support for one spouse. Once the divorce is final, spousal maintenance may be ordered by the court.
Divorce can be complex in many ways. Spousal maintenance payments can help one party to financially ease after the divorce.