Learning about Your Legal Rights and Obligations
In a marriage dissolution, both parties are concerned about how much they might have to pay or how much they might receive in terms of child support and spousal maintenance. Child support is fairly straightforward and is usually required when a minor child is involved. Spousal maintenance, however, is more complicated and may or may not be awarded.
Minnesota child support based on Support Guidelines Calculator.
Factors in the Minnesota child support calculation are each parent's gross income, how many children are in each parent's home, spousal maintenance orders, costs of medical and dental coverage, child care costs, percentage of parenting time for each parent and any government disability benefits paid to a joint child due to a parent's disability or retirement. It can be complicated, and in some instances, there may be circumstances that call for a deviation from the child support guidelines. An experienced family law attorney can identify any exceptions that may affect support calculations.
Minnesota spousal maintenance is based on need and ability to pay.
Not every marriage dissolution involves spousal support (also called alimony), but many do. When one spouse has a lower income (or no income), the court seeks to recognize specific circumstances and other contributions to the marriage. There are a number of questions to be answered:
- What are the financial resources of each spouse?
- What standard of living was established during the marriage?
- How long will it take for a spouse to get the training or education needed to be self supporting? Or is that likely to be possible?
- How long was the couple married?
- How did each spouse contribute to the marriage and the accumulated marital assets?
- How long has a homemaker spouse not worked outside of the home?
- What is the age, physical and emotional health of the spouse seeking support?
- What is the other spouse's ability to pay support?
The payment of spousal maintenance may or may not be limited in length of time, depending on how long it is needed. For example, an older or disabled spouse may need support indefinitely.
Ask a lawyer about your support rights and obligations. Call 952.896.1099.
Every marriage, every family, has unique circumstances. Talk to an experienced family law attorney about what you can expect in terms of receiving or paying child support and spousal maintenance. Call 952.896.1099 or contact us by email for an appointment.