A spouse requesting post-divorce support in Texas must be eligible to receive spousal maintenance before a court can grant the request. The court cannot award spousal maintenance to a non-eligible spouse on its own.
Typically, the judge will take 20% of the lower-earning spouse's income and subtract that number from 30% of the higher-earning spouse's income. For example, one spouse makes $100,000, and the other makes $20,000. Thirty percent of $100,000 is $30,000, and 20% of $20,000 is $4,000.
In New York, spousal support/ maintenance is determined by a guideline calculator based upon the income of the two parties and the length of their marriage. The Court is allowed to deviate from the guideline amount based on a number of potential rebuttal factors, however, such deviations are rare.
The guideline states that the paying spouse's support be presumptively 40% of his or her net monthly income, reduced by one-half of the receiving spouse's net monthly income. If child support is an issue, spousal support is calculated after child support is calculated.
Typically, the judge will take 20% of the lower-earning spouse's income and subtract that number from 30% of the higher-earning spouse's income. For example, one spouse makes $100,000, and the other makes $20,000. Thirty percent of $100,000 is $30,000, and 20% of $20,000 is $4,000.
In most cases, if a spouse can work and their former spouse cannot afford to provide spousal support, the court can deny alimony. It is pertinent to note that New York is a no-fault divorce state, meaning both parties could cite fault grounds, however, it will not affect whether a spouse is granted spousal maintenance.