Support Payments After a Divorce

Support Payments After a Divorce

Divorces are often a very complex process. It requires separating two lives that were brought and built together over a period of time. This can be difficult to do, as two spouses’ lives are tied together in several different ways. This may be financially or even if the couple has children together. Because of this, a spouse may be required to make support payments after a divorce. This may be for a spouse, a child, or both. This is done through spousal support and child support. These exist to financially assist these parties as they did before the divorce.

Spousal Support

Couples who are together for a long time often combine their finances and assets when they are married. In the event that they divorce, these must be divided between the two of them. This can create a difficult situation as sometimes, one spouse may be the breadwinner of a family. This means they are the only source of income, while the other parent is the caretaker of their home. In these situations, the dependent spouse may not have an income of their own after a divorce to sustain themselves. Without this, they are left in a poor financial state and are unable to move on to build a new life of their own.

When this happens, the independent spouse may owe spousal support, otherwise known as alimony, to the dependent spouse for a court required period of time. These payments exist to help the dependent spouse live comfortably and have the opportunity to gain their own independence without struggling to do so. In the state of New Jersey, there are different types of alimony that may be appointed to former spouses depending on their relationship. This can include open durational alimony, limited duration alimony, rehabilitative alimony, and reimbursement alimony.

Child Support

Couples who have children together must settle child support payments during their divorce. This custodial parent of a child is required to provide them with shelter, clothes, food, an education, and more to have a stable life. This can become expensive for one parent to handle on their own. This is why the state of New Jersey requires both parents to financially assist their child after a divorce. To do so, the non-custodial parent makes payments to the custodial parent for the child’s cost of living. This ensures they are provided with the same standard of living they were used to before the divorce.

Parents are required to financially support their child until they reach the age of emancipation. Typically, the age of emancipation in New Jersey is 19 years old. However, this age can vary depending on the needs of the child. Sometimes, courts may extend support payments under certain circumstances if a child cannot support themselves yet. To end support payments, a parent must petition the court to prove their child is emancipated. If the court agrees, the payments can be terminated.

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