Alimony or spousal support is available in New Jersey on a case-by-case basis. The court has options when considering a request for alimony, and can issue an order for:
- Alimony pendent lite, or temporary alimony, which provides some level of support while divorce proceedings are pending
- Limited duration alimony, granted until such time as you are self-supporting
- Permanent alimony (extremely rare), usually granted in cases where the parties have been married for a long time and the receiving spouse forfeited career or educational opportunities to care for family, or to help advance the other spouse’s career
- Reimbursement alimony, available to a person who supported a spouse through higher education and anticipated enjoying the benefits, but was denied because of divorce or separation
- Rehabilitative alimony, designed to provide a level of support while the recipient gets training or education necessary to become self-supporting
The Factors the Court Considers When Granting Alimony
In New Jersey, the court will look at a broad range of factors, including:
- The needs of the party seeking alimony, as well as the ability of the other party to pay
- The age and health of the parties
- The length of the marriage
- The standard of living to which the parties were accustomed during marriage
- The respective earning capacity of each party
- The extent to which one party may need to take care of minor children of the marriage
- The division of marital debts and assets
- The length of time, if any, that the party seeking alimony has been out of the job market
Whether or not alimony is granted, the type of alimony granted, and the amount of spousal support are all at the discretion of the court.
Contact Morgenstern & Rochester
At Morgenstern & Rochester, our two partners have almost 50 years of combined family law experience. We are a boutique family law firm that takes a hands-on approach. When you hire us, you will always work directly with one of our partners, never with an inexperienced associate or a paralegal.
To arrange a confidential meeting with an experienced Cherry Hill family law attorney, contact us online or call our office at 856-489-6200.