Massachusetts Divorce Law...

Massachusetts Law - What Factors Affect the Alimony Amount?

The goal of the court in awarding alimony is to keep both spouses at approximately the same standard of living as they enjoyed during the marriage. Thus, the most important factors are the need of one spouse and the ability to pay of the other spouse.

Here are all the factors the court considers in granting spousal support:

• The amount of assets and debts of each party.
• The needs of each party.
• The length of the marriage (longer marriages tend to draw more alimony).
• The conduct of the parties during the marriage (such as adultery or abuse).
• The age, health, status, occupation, and amount and sources of income of both parties.
• The skills and employability of each party.
• The opportunities of each party for future income or inheritances
• Contributions each spouse has made to the acquisition or growth of property;
• Contributions each spouse has made as a homemaker.

These are nearly the same the court considers in making its property division. For the property division the court also considers the needs of the children.

Section 34.

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