When your Mississippi marriage ends, you may wonder whether you are going to be able to maintain the same quality of life as a single person that you did while your marriage was intact. If you stopped working or going to school to support your spouse as he or she did so, you may decide to pursue alimony, or spousal support, in your divorce.
According to the Mississippi Bar, in the past, courts sometimes saw alimony awards as punishments for spouses who stepped out on their marriages. However, nowadays, courts make spousal support awards based on one party in the marriage’s needs and the other party’s ability to pay.
Types of alimony Mississippi recognizes
Mississippi awards two types of spousal support: lump-sum payments and periodic payments. A lump-sum award means you are to receive a specific dollar amount either all at once or over a period of time. Periodic alimony payments may change over time and typically end when the receiving spouse either remarries or begins living with his or her new partner.
Factors that help determine alimony awards
When deciding whether you should receive alimony in your divorce, a judge considers your health, age and earning capacity as well as those of your husband or wife. The income sources and employability of both parties also go under the microscope. So, too, do the needs of any children you might share, among other considerations.
If the judge on your case does decide to award alimony, he or she typically does so with the hope that the award given is going to allow you to maintain a similar standard of living to that you had during your marriage.
