It is important to mention that the court is not required to follow a strict list of circumstances when deciding whether or not to issue alimony to a spouse. There are suggestions that are taken into account, but alimony law is not very formal. Case settled by the Supreme Court has made it illegal for a judge to issue alimony to someone because of their gender.
Factors involving a spouse’s future earning potential may help or hinder one’s attempts to receive alimony payments. A spouse without much work history or experience may be entitled to alimony under alimony law. This is especially true if the spouse gave up a career to be a homemaker. It is doubtful that a spouse with limited job skills will be able to be self sufficient, especially if they are older. Another factor that a judge will use when determining alimony is the standard of living that a spouse had while they were married. The longer a couple has been married, the more likely a judge is to allow each spouse to maintain the standard of living they enjoyed before the divorce.
There are some standard and well-known alimony law guidelines considered by the court when making an alimony issuance decision, such as a spouse’s health and age. However, since the decision to award alimony is entirely up to the court, they can consider any factor that they feel is relevant to the divorce. Determining whether to grant alimony is difficult. Although the courts do try to be fair when awarding alimony, the vague alimony law that exists can make it difficult to come to a decision.