Helping parties receive support in their family law matter.
CHILD SUPPORT
When parents separate they have an obligation to provide support on behalf of their children until the children are emancipated, which is until the children graduate from high school or reach the age of 18 years old, whichever occurs at a later date. Pennsylvania’s support guidelines are based upon the concept that the children of separated, divorced or never-married parents should receive the same proportion of parental income that she or he would have received if the parents lived together. Family Law Corp. will help parents file for child support on behalf of their children.
The court will determine the amount of support to be paid based upon the custody schedule. Parents must additionally continue to pay any un-reimbursed expenses in proportion to their respective salaries. The attorneys at Family Law Corp. are experienced in the intricacies in child support and are here to assist you in the process.
SPOUSAL SUPPORT
Spousal Support is available to a married spouse, when the couple resides in separate homes and one spouse earns more than than the other spouse. There are defenses against spousal support and it is important to have an attorney assist you in your claim for or against spousal support.
ALIMONY PENDENTE LITE
Alimony Pendente Lite is a type of support that is limited in nature and paid to the lesser income earning spouse by the higher income earning spouse in accordance to a statutory formula until the divorce is finalized. This support was enacted to equalize the parties incomes during the divorce proceedings and allow each spouse to afford the divorce process and expenses.
ALIMONY
In Pennsylvania, there is not a set formula to determine post-divorce alimony. Whether or not to award post-divorce alimony payments lies within the exclusive discretion of the court. The court relies on the following 17 factors to determine whether to award post-divorce alimony.
The 17 Factors of Alimony
- The relative earnings of both spouses.
- The duration of the marriage.
- The ages and physical, mental and emotional states of the two spouses.
- The sources of income of both spouses. This includes medical, retirement, insurance or other benefits.
- The expected future earnings and inheritances of the two spouses.
- The degree to which one spouse has contributed to the other spouse’s education, training or increased earning potential.
- The degree to which a spouse will be financially affected by their position as the custodian of a minor child.
- The standard of living of the spouses established during the marriage.
- The relative education of the parties. This also considers the amount of time it would take for the spouse seeking alimony to acquire the education or training necessary to find employment.
- The relative assets and liabilities of the two spouses.
- The property each spouse brought to the marriage.
- The degree a spouse contributed as a homemaker.
- The relative needs of the two spouses.
- The marital misconduct of either of the spouses during the marriage.
- The federal, state and local tax consequences of the alimony.
- Whether the spouse seeking alimony lacks sufficient property to provide for their reasonable needs.
- Whether the spouse seeking alimony is incapable of supporting themselves through appropriate employment.
[1] Title 7, Pennsylvania Code, §6102.