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.
The court will determine how long you or the other party will receive alimony. If you have been married for 20 years or longer, there is no limit to how long you can receive alimony. However, if you were married for less than 20 years, you cannot collect alimony for more than 50% of the length of the marriage.
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.
You are not legally obligated to support her. If a divorce is filed the court could make alimony retroactive.
You still need to support her, she is your wife. but you are within your reasonable rights to expect some form of input from her. whether you are the husband or the wife, you are supposed to love, care and support each other. Whether this is with finance input from your work, or work at home, both are valuable inputs.
You are not legally obligated to support her. If a divorce is filed the court could make alimony retroactive.
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.
In New York, judges often use the following method to calculate maintenance: Deduct 20% of the requesting spouse's income from 30% of the other spouse's income. Multiply the total combined income of the spouses by 40% and subtract the requesting spouse's income.
40% of the high earner's net monthly income minus 50% of the low earner's net monthly income. For instance, if Spouse A earns $5,000 per month and Spouse B earns $2,500 per month, temporary spousal support might be calculated as follows: 40% of $5,000 = $2,000. 50% of $2,500 = $1,250.