How is Virginia spousal support calculated?

Spousal support, also known as alimony, is an issue that draws many questions from women facing a Virginia divorce.

Virginia spousal support can be a complicated area of divorce. Virginia courts take many factors into consideration when deciding an amount of spousal support in any specific case.

Despite the variations, there are guidelines that can be used as a basic way to estimate Virginia spousal support. If no child support is involved, the paying spouse pays the recipient 30% of gross income minus 50% of the lower earning spouse's income.

If child support is involved, the numbers change. The payer pays the recipient 58% of his or her gross income less 58% of the recipient's gross income.

As mentioned before, these are simply guidelines. They do not necessarily represent the amount of Virginia spousal support a judge will order in your case.

When calculating Virginia spousal support, courts look at factors such as:

• The contributions of both spouses to the marriage;
• The duration of the marriage;
• The overall health of the parties; and
• Other factors specific to the marriage.

There are also several different types of Virginia spousal support, such as permanent support, temporary support, and rehabilitative support.

The courts decide which type of spousal support is necessary based on details of the case and the life conditions of both the payer and the recipient.

The decision to file for divorce usually comes at the end of a long and painful journey. In addition to the emotional turmoil involved, there's also a lot of fear and uncertainty about what the future holds. Concerns about children, mortgages, and even just paying the bills or buying groceries can easily become overwhelming.

A Virginia divorce attorney at Hofheimer Family Law Firm can examine the specifics of your case to help you decide how much Virginia spousal support to ask for, what child custody arrangement will work best for you and your children, and how to fairly divide your marital assets. Request a FREE copy of our guide, What Every Virginia Woman Should Know About Divorce, or reserve your seat at our monthly divorce seminar – 757-425-5200.