A Short Guide to Missouri Alimony Calculators
What is a Missouri alimony calculator?
An alimony calculator gives a person an estimation of what their alimony order will be as part of a divorce settlement given a few variables such as spousal income. They rely on strict state guidelines for accuracy.
The problem is that no strict guidelines exist for alimony in Missouri, making an alimony calculator for Missouri generally impossible. However, by undertaking a little research, it is relatively simple to uncover information to mimic an alimony calculator for Missouri.
What factors affect a Missouri alimony calculator?
Missouri Statute 452.335, lists the different factors which affect an alimony order. You can read it here:
After you familiarize yourself with those factors, ask yourself these questions based on the determining factors to simulate the estimates of an alimony calculator for Missouri. The more “Yes” answers you give, the greater the alimony order in your situation will likely be.
1. Does one spouse earn much more than the other?
2. Was the standard of living during the marriage high? Is the lower-earning spouse unable to maintain that high standard of living, while the higher-income spouse can do so easily?
3. Was the lower-income spouse not given significant property as part of the Dissolution Agreement while the higher-income spouse was?
4. Is the lower-income spouse not receiving any maintenance as custodian of a minor child?
5. Does the lower-income spouse have significant debt? Does the higher-income spouse have little debt relative to their income?
6. Did the marriage last a long time, at least five years? What about ten years? Twenty years?
7. Is the part seeking alimony aged so that finding appropriate employment will be difficult? Are they unable to find appropriate employment because of a physical or mental incapability?
8. Can the higher-income spouse still maintain their standard of living from during the marriage while paying the other spouse alimony?
9. Did the marriage dissolve because of misconduct on the part of the higher-income spouse?
10. Can additional training or education allow for the lower-income spouse to re-enter the workforce? If this can be answer positively, then rehabilitative alimony may be ordered, making the higher-income spouse pay for education for a short period of time, usually three years of less.
When does a person need a Missouri alimony calculator?
That same law, Missouri Statute 452.335 lays out the different instances in which alimony can be ordered by a judge. You only need to look further into the uses of a Missouri alimony calculator if both of the following are true in your situation:
1. One spouse lacks sufficient property to provide for their own needs, assuming that those needs are reasonable.
2. The same spouse cannot provide for their own reasonable needs through appropriate employment, because of disabilities rendering appropriate employment impossible or because a minor child or disabled adult is in their custody so that circumstances prevent employment outside the home.
