Spousal support explained
Spousal support is money that is paid by one spouse to another as financial assistance to ease his/her inability to maintain a standard of living similar to the standard of living that was enjoyed during the relationship or to lessen some financial disadvantage that one spouse experienced as a result of something that happened during the marriage or its breakdown (such as staying out of the workforce for years to raise children or moving around the country/world to further the others career).
Spousal support is a complicated and difficult area of the law.
Whether or not a spouse is entitled to support is the first issue. Then how much is paid for how long is another. There is a great deal of discretion in determining spousal support and amounts and durations vary significantly.
The Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG) were developed to create more certainty in the law. However, the SSAG are not mandatory and they offer a wide range of results. The Guidelines offer a useful tool for analysis but the examination should not stop there. Trends in support are reflected in the common law (judge-made law) and having legal counsel that knows those trends and is able to apply the current principles to your circumstances is important.
How we can help
Our lawyers can help. We take a practical approach and we know the law and the factors to consider. We value ongoing legal education and we study divorce law cases on a regular and consistent basis to ensure that we are up to date on the most current legal trends and are able to offer those benefits to our clients.
Get an idea of what you might pay / receive in spousal support by consulting My Spousal Support Calculator.
