Spousal support often plays a critical role in helping to ensure financial fairness after a marriage ends. When one spouse may experience a drastic shift in their standard of living post-divorce, the court may award spousal support to alleviate financial hardships....
Child Support And Spousal Maintenance
When can spouses paying maintenance end or reduce their payments?
Spousal maintenance can be one of the biggest issues when couples divorce. Higher-earning spouses may resent the obligation to pay maintenance, while dependent or lower-earning spouses may not be able to live independently without it. People may also call spousal...
Key factors that Missouri courts consider for spousal support
When Missouri couples decide to part ways, one crucial aspect that may need addressing is spousal support, also known as maintenance or alimony. Spousal support is a financial arrangement designed to assist the lower-earning spouse in maintaining a standard of living...
What factors influence Missouri spousal support or maintenance?
Adults who separate or divorce generally recognize that child support is a necessary part of co-parenting arrangements. Financial obligations often fall to the higher-earning adult or the one who spends less time with the children. However, sometimes there will also...
Are there advantages to taking alimony as a lump sum?
You’re getting divorced, and your spouse is going to have to pay alimony, also known as spousal support. Perhaps you left the workforce to help raise a family, counting on your spouse to support you all financially. Since you’re losing that support in the divorce,...
Are visitation and child support tied together?
The worst thing about your divorce is the fact that you no longer have your child living with you full-time. It wouldn’t be so bad, except that your ex-spouse is frustrating every attempt you make to spend time with the kids. Every time your visitation day rolls...
Your changing situation may require updates to support orders
Life moves on after your marriage ends, often in ways you could never expect. Perhaps now that there is less tension at home, your job performance has improved and you just got a raise. Perhaps your ex is the one who has seen their career take off since the divorce....
When can you ask for alimony or maintenance in a divorce?
Some people who want to get divorced think that alimony or spousal maintenance obligations are automatic. If they stayed home to raise the children or take care of the family home, they assume that the Missouri family courts will order alimony from their spouse. While...
Can you ask for spousal maintenance or alimony during a divorce?
Divorce is frightening, especially if you are a dependent spouse. If you have stayed home to take care of the house or raise children, you may not have much earning potential or any personal assets to support yourself with when you leave your spouse. Your entire...
What constitutes a substantial change for support modifications?
Life can change in an instant. You can learn that the company you've worked for the last decade is going out of business or find out that the company wants to promote you. You or your children could develop an illness or experience an accident that has long-term...