When people get married, they often combine their lives together in several ways. This may be financially or through children. Because of this, it can be difficult to separate their lives during a divorce. Often times, spouses may be required to pay spousal support or child support as a result. These payments are made to financially support the other party while they grow up or work towards becoming independent.
Spousal Support
Couples who are together for a long time often combine their finances and assets during their marriage. Sometimes families may have a single income, as one spouse could work and the other could be the caretaker of their children and home. When this happens, one spouse may be completely financially dependent on the other. When they go through a divorce, this spouse can be left in a poor financial situation because they do not have an income of their own.
In these situations, the independent spouse may owe spousal support, also known as alimony, to the dependent spouse. This allows the dependent spouse to live without worry of finances while they begin to gain independence and build a life of their own. In New Jersey, there are different types of alimony that may be appointed to spouses depending on their situation. This can include open durational alimony, limited duration alimony, rehabilitative alimony, and reimbursement alimony.
Child Support
Couples with children together must determine child support payments. Custodial and non-custodial parents have different financial obligations after a divorce. The custodial parent is required to provide the child with a home, clothes, food, an education, and more. This can become expensive for one parent to take care of on their own, which is why both parents must financially assist their child after a divorce. This requires the non-custodial parent to make support payments to the custodial parent to balance out these expenses. This ensures the child lives their life with the same stability they were used to before the divorce.
Parents must pay child support their child until reaches the age of emancipation. In New Jersey, this is usually at 19 years old. However, the age may vary depending on the needs of the child. The court may decide to extend support payments under certain circumstances. This may be if the child cannot support themselves yet. To end support payments, a parent must petition the court to establish the child’s emancipation. If the court agrees, support payments can be terminated.
Contact our Firm
Before taking any sort of legal action, it is important to discuss your legal matter with an experienced attorney. Contact The Radol Law Firm to discuss any divorce and family law matters you may be faced with.