You can get Spousal Support through Family Court. A Support Magistrate will handle your case – not a Judge. Support Magistrates only hear Child Support and Spousal Support cases. It isn't necessary for you to have a lawyer in Family Court, but you can get one if you want.
Please complete an application for support online utilizing Pennsylvania's E-Services filing system. Use this link: E-Services. E-Services uses a series of questions to complete documents to be forwarded to Montgomery County Domestic Relations Section (DRS).
For one child, you take 17% of the parents' combined income, for two children you take 25%, for three children you take 29%, for four children you take 31% and for five children you take no less than 35% of the parents' combined income and this percentage amount represents the basic child support obligation.
Although you do not need a lawyer to pursue a child support case, you should consider hiring one. A family lawyer specializes in family law and can help you navigate the process. In some cases, you may need to hire a private attorney.
In New York, if a marriage lasts a long time and a spouse is old, ill or unable to support themselves, permanent alimony may be awarded.
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.
Not all divorces qualify for alimony. Courts consider factors like the length of marriage, income disparity between spouses, and ability to be self-sufficient. Generally, the higher-earning spouse supports the lower-earning spouse to maintain their pre-divorce standard of living.
Child support is never deductible and isn't considered income. Additionally, if a divorce or separation instrument provides for alimony and child support, and the payer spouse pays less than the total required, the payments apply to child support first. Only the remaining amount is considered alimony.
If you have a 15-20-year marriage, it is 30-40% of the duration of the marriage. And more than 20 years, it is 35-50% of the duration of the marriage. One thing to keep in mind with regard to all of the calculations is that they are all subject to deviation based on different factors.