Are you hoping to obtain alimony from your Ohio divorce?

Ending your marriage may not have even crossed your mind a few years ago. Now, your relationship has declined so much that you wonder how you even married your spouse in the first place. Unfortunately, this type of situation can affect many people, and you may think that divorce is your next step.

While this action may suit your circumstances, it will likely work in your favor to closely consider the decision and how it could affect you. For instance, if your spouse made considerably more money than you make or if you stayed home to raise the kids and had no outside income, you may face financial difficulties after divorce. However, alimony may help.

Alimony considerations

Whether an Ohio court will deem spousal support appropriate often hinges on a number of factors, including the following:

• Your education level
• Your spouse's education level
• Tax considerations
• How long your marriage lasted
• Both of your incomes
• Age
• Physical, mental and emotional capacities of each of you
• Whether you should seek outside employment as the primary caregiver of your children
• Both of your assets and debts
• Time and expense of any education you may pursue
• Standard of living you were used to during the marriage

The court may also choose to consider other aspects depending on how they affect your case and overall life.

Alimony duration

Even if the court does award you alimony, it may not necessarily mean that you will receive that income for the rest of your life. If you obtain permanent alimony, the duration will go on for as long as the court deems appropriate, which may or may not be as long as you would like. You could also obtain temporary alimony, which would last only as long as it takes to finalize your divorce. Additionally, the court could potentially find it unnecessary for you to receive spousal support at all.

Reaching your goals

If you believe spousal support could suit your needs, you may have to present a strong argument to the court regarding why. Fortunately, you do not have to take such a major step alone. An experienced attorney could help you understand state spousal support laws and assist you in creating an argument that would allow you to work toward your desired outcomes as best as possible. Starting a new chapter of life as a single person can be daunting, and you certainly want to ensure that your finances will be in order.