Spousal Support is an issue often precipitated by a separation between spouses. When one spouse earned the majority (sometimes all) of the income during the marriage, separation can bring up questions as to how both spouses are going to support separate homes on the same income. Spousal Support is designed to address this concern.
In North Carolina, Spousal Support comes in the form of Post Separation Support and Alimony. Post-separation support is designed as a temporary form of spousal support, which is typically considered by a judge in very short hearing (30 – 60 minutes), in order to hold a dependent spouse over until a full Alimony trial is held. Alimony takes a deeper look at the parties’ financial picture in order to put an order in place that will sufficiently cover the dependent spouse’s needs, while still allowing the supporting spouse to meet his or her own reasonable needs. North Carolina does not have a specific formula for spousal support. Instead, the Court uses various factors to determine the parties’ monthly income and reasonable expenses.
To read more on Spousal Support in North Carolina, visit our Alimony page.
