Spousal Support Form For Parents In Washington
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FAQ
All states have alimony. Every state in the United States has its own alimony laws, so they're all a little different. Some states have more comprehensive alimony laws than others. Every state allows for some form of alimony, like rehabilitative alimony.
A court in Washington State will usually a) award each party his or her own separate property and b) divide the net value of the parties' community property 50/50. This means the husband keeps what he brought to the marriage, the wife keeps what she brought, and the rest gets split between them equally.
To ask for custody, you must open a case with the superior court where you live or where the other parent lives. It may be a stand-alone custody case or a divorce, legal separation, annulment or parentage (paternity) case. After filing the initial paperwork, serve the other parent to officially notify them.
Washington law provides for only two types of alimony: temporary maintenance while the divorce case is in progress, and. maintenance for a certain period of time after the divorce is final.
When either party requests maintenance or other financial relief in a divorce, each spouse must submit a financial declaration. Financial declarations are fill-in-the-blank forms the state has created, and you can download one from the Washington Court Forms Website under Family Law > Divorce > Divorce (Dissolution).
In essence, the court first looks at the economic need of the party seeking spousal support. The court measures this need by comparing the monthly income of the person seeking alimony with their monthly expenses. The shortfall between a party's income and their expenses is that party's economic need.
Alimony usually lasts until the divorce is final or for a brief period afterward. Mid-length marriages that lasted between 5-25 years have more variability in awarding alimony. Judges often award one year of maintenance for every 3 to 4 years married, but this is not a hard rule.
Although it is uncommon, Permanent Alimony can be ordered in Washington State. Unlike Child Support, there is no set formula the court follows to set maintenance. This gives individual judges wide discretion in determining what amount, and for length of time, Spousal Support is considered fair.
As a general rule of thumb, courts in Washington State award one year of alimony for every three or four years of marriage. There is no statute or case law explicitly stating this formula, but it is an oft mentioned rule and generally what courts can be expected to do.
