When two people get married, they intertwine their lives in more ways than one. This can be through finances, assets, and even children. If they decide to divorce, it is usually a difficult process to separate their lives after bringing them together. Because this split isn’t always clean, some spouses may be required to make court-ordered payments. This may be for their former spouse or their child. With these payments, one spouse financially supports the other party until they are able to support themselves.
Spousal Support
Married couples often combine their finances and assets with one another. In making them one, this sometimes creates a single income family. This means that one spouse financially supports the other. This is commonly seen in situations of a stay-at-home parent. When this happens, the other spouse may be financially dependent on the working spouse. This often leaves them in an unfair financial standing after a divorce because they do not have an income of their own.
In these situations, the independent spouse may be required to pay spousal support, also known as alimony. These are payments made to the dependent spouse so that they are financially stable enough to move on from the marriage and build their new life. The amount that is paid to the spouse can depend on the circumstances of their marriage. The types of alimony in New Jersey include open durational alimony, limited duration alimony, rehabilitative alimony, and reimbursement alimony.
Child Support
Many couples have children together. When they divorce, the non-custodial parent is required to pay child support. These payments financially assist the child throughout their upbringing. This exists so that the child can have the same standard of living they were used to before the divorce. The cost of a child can become overwhelming for one parent to handle. Child support payments balance out these costs so that both parents support their child.
Child support payments are made until a child reaches the age of emancipation. In the state of New Jersey, this age is generally 19 years old. However, every family and every child is different. Sometimes, the court may extend payments. This may be if a child pursues higher education. This may require the parent to support their child during their continuing education until they can support themselves. If a parent wants to end child support payments, they must petition the court to prove emancipation. If the court agrees, the payments can be terminated.
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If you need an experienced legal team to guide you through your divorce, contact Townsend, Tomaio & Newmark L.L.C today.
