As you move through your divorce, one thing you have to do is to find out if you will need spousal support. You have always worked, but your work doesn’t pay nearly what your spouse’s does. You’ve relied on him to be the breadwinner, and now you’re going to be left with just enough to scrape by. You may have to move into a lower-income area and will have to be further away from work. The entire situation is overwhelming.
If you are in a situation like this, one thing to consider is asking for spousal support. Spousal support is meant to help you, at least temporarily, so that you can stay in a financially stable situation. Spousal support can be paid monthly, yearly, in a lump sum or by any other arrangement that you and your spouse agree on.
How do you prove that you need support?
One of the best things to do is to show that you need support by explaining your assets and liabilities. For example, if you are paid $1,500 a month but have to pay $700 for rent and $300 for utilities, $100 for a phone and $150 for educational courses, you’ll have very little left over for other necessities, like groceries or incidentals.
Your attorney or you can speak with your spouse about this and see what they believe would be a possible solution. You may find that they are happy to provide you with an asset that you can liquidate or to pay you directly an amount of spousal support that will help you as you adjust to living on your own. If not, your attorney can help you negotiate or represent you in court.