Your financial future is going to look a whole lot different following a Pennsylvania divorce, and you may have concerns about being able to maintain your current lifestyle. If you see no realistic way to keep your current lifestyle without help from your ex, you may decide to seek alimony from him or her.
Per the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the state references a specific set of variables to help decide if an alimony award is appropriate in your divorce, and if so, how much you might get and how long you might get it. Some of the factors the state considers are as follows.
How long your marriage lasted
While marriage duration alone may not be enough to determine whether you get alimony, the chances of one party receiving it are often higher when the marriage lasted a long time. This is because the odds of one party making professional sacrifices for the sake of the other, or for the family unit, are higher in long-term marriages than in short ones.
How much you and your ex make
How much you and your ex make, or might be able to make, given your levels of education or professional skillsets, also falls under the microscope in a Pennsylvania divorce. If you are nearing retirement age or lack the professional skills today’s employers demand, this may also boost your chances of getting alimony.
Whether marital misconduct took place
The state also considers whether any marital misconduct contributed to the demise of your marriage when deciding whether you should get alimony.
These are just a few of the many factors Pennsylvania might give weight to when deciding whether an alimony award is appropriate in your divorce.