Spousal Support (Alimony) and Child Support in PA

A Pennsylvania court can order alimony or spousal support to either the wife or the husband. Spouse support is not typically on a permanent basis. A PA divorce lawyer in your corner can cut through the red tape and help prove your legal cause. Remember, this is their job, their expertise, and they have fulfilled this same obligation many times before.

Divorce can breed financial instability. Be prepared by knowing what you are financially entitled to in a divorce and pursue it to save your financial future.

The divorce court will consider a variety of factors; here are but a few:

• Earning capacities of both husband and wife
• Ages and health of both wife and husband
• Sources of income -- including medical, retirement, insurance, etc
• Length of the marriage
• The extent to which earning power, expenses, or financial obligations will be affected by serving as the custodian of a minor child/children
• Standard of current living
• The relative education of the parties and the time necessary to acquire sufficient education or training to enable the party seeking alimony to find appropriate employment
• Assets and liabilities of both
• Property brought into the marriage
• Contribution of a spouse as homemaker
• Marital misconduct, if applicable
• Tax consequences
• Is the party seeking alimony incapable of self-support?

A court can order temporary maintenance while the divorce is pending. Most maintenance is ordered for a specific length of time. Once ordered, it can be modified only upon a showing of a change in circumstances.

Child Support PA

Child support is a hot button issue. Once a judgment is made regarding custody of the child, the judge also grants child support to the custodial parent. The amount and frequency depends on how much the payer earns.

In Pennsylvania, child support is based on the combined net income of the parents and how many children the parent is responsible for supporting. When making a decision about child support, the court must determine the ability of each parent to provide healthcare coverage for the children. If necessary, a court can set aside a portion of joint or separate assets of the parties in a separate trust or fund for the support and education of the children.

A Pennsylvania child support order can be modified if there has been a substantial change in circumstances, such as a big increase or decrease in either parent's income or the child reaching the legal age and graduating from high school.

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