Does the Court Consider Separate Property When Determining Alimony | Phoenix Divorce Laws
4 Factors to Determine Alimony Eligibility
In Arizona, alimony is called spousal maintenance. There are four specific criteria that the court must evaluate in determining whether a spouse is entitled to spousal maintenance, and the central theme is whether the requesting spouse can provide for his or her reasonable needs.
Separate & Community Property
In determining whether a spouse can meet his or her needs, the court can consider that spouse’s sole and separate property, along with any community property that is awarded to that spouse as part of the divorce. If the court determines that one spouse is entitled to spousal maintenance, the court then considers all other relevant factors, including thirteen specific statutory factors to determine the amount and duration of the award.
Determining Amount & Duration
The factors that potentially relate to separate property include the following: the ability of the paying spouse to meet his or her own needs and still pay something to the other spouse; the comparative financial resources of each spouse; and the ability of the parties to contribute to the future educational costs of their common children. So, separate property can be considered both when determining if a spouse is entitled to spousal maintenance and if so, the amount and duration of the award. If you would like more information, please contact me.