Grounds of Spousal Support in California

Pleasanton CA Spousal Support Attorney

Divorce has many issues, including child support, custody, and property division. Most of the time, couples can work these issues out of court. However, a judicial court has to intervene in spousal support decisions.

You can contact the Pleasanton family law attorney at Tierney Law Group to help you get a befitting spousal support agreement. You can also get more insight from this article about the grounds of spousal support in California.

Grounds for Spousal Support

Depending on the type of spousal support you get in California, the court will always determine your income in conjunction with several other factors. These will help guide their decision to determine the ground of your spousal support.

The most basic test is whether you need financial support and your spouse can provide it. The court then gathers the financial information of both spouses, including the following:

• Debts
• Incomes
• Assets
• Expenses

The court then uses a temporary support calculator to determine an eligible amount.

Calculating Spousal Support

When calculating the eligible spousal support amount, the court considers child support as part of the amount. This means spousal support becomes lower if there is an order for child support. However, if the child grows up and the child support stops, the spousal support amount may increase.

When calculating temporary spousal support, the last twelve months become crucial. It’s a fair representation of the income, especially if there is a fluctuation. The court can decide to go even longer than 12 months if the spouse in question is self-employed.

It’s unusual for the court to go lower than 12 months, but everything depends on the facts of the case.

Final Thoughts

When filing for divorce, many things get involved, and the whole situation can be overwhelming. Before you decide to file for spousal support, you must take your time and think about it. Determine how to respond to your spouse’s paperwork and know which paperwork to file first. At the Tierney Law Group, we understand how spousal support California works, as family law is one of our expertise. Our Pleasanton family law attorney will provide you with legal representation and ensure you understand your grounds and limits.

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