Types Of Alimony In New York
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New York's equitable distribution law specifies that you are entitled to a division of all “marital property” assets that were acquired during the marriage. With few exceptions, marital property generally includes both spouses' income, purchases made with that income, and retirement benefits.
The court calculates the presumptively correct sum for spousal maintenance by deducting 20% of the requesting spouse's income from 30% of the other spouse's income. The lower figure from the two computations will determine the yearly maintenance award.
The person asking for alimony must show the court that he or she needs financial support, and that the other spouse has the ability to provide financial support.
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.
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.
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.
Length of the marriage — a longer marriage can mean a greater award, particularly if the receiving spouse stayed at home and raised the children. Age and health of both parties — if a receiving spouse is in poor health or of advanced age, the award can be affected. Present and future earning capacity of both parties.
The most common type of spousal support is usually called rehabilitative alimony—because it's meant to "rehabilitate" dependent spouses by giving them financial support while they gain the education, training, or work experience needed to become self-supporting.
