When money is tight and you’re going through a divorce, your Raleigh divorce lawyer might suggest that you try to get post-separation support. Post-separation support is determined by financial need, the standard of living to which you’ve become accustomed, and a handful of other factors.
Before You Ask
Your lawyer will probably ask you to provide extensive documentation that shows your need for post-separation support. That’s because they will have to give that information to the court. If you want to get a jump on things, start collecting financial documentation such as bank statements and tax documents.
What Affects Post-separation Support?
Some divorce cases are a complete surprise to one party; say your spouse cheated while you were married, and you’re completely unprepared to live on your own. Your judge may take your spouse’s misconduct into consideration when determining whether to award it (and how much it should be).
Your judge may also consider:
- How much money you and your ex make
- Whether you have the potential to earn money
- Your debts and your spouse’s debts
- Your current support obligations (including preexisting alimony or child support payments)
While there is no set formula for determining how much post-separation support or alimony you will receive, our alimony calculator may help you come up with a reasonable estimate.
Factoring Post-separation Support into Your Budget
It’s important that you don’t factor post-separation support into your budget until your judge has officially ordered that you receive it. Because there are no guarantees, you can’t count on that money while you’re creating your divorce budget.
As with all aspects of your divorce, it’s best to rely on your attorney’s advice. They have worked with several people in situations like yours and has extensive experience within the North Carolina court system. No two cases are identical, so only your attorney can give you advice that’s specific to what’s going on with you.
