When you and your husband or wife divorce in Pennsylvania, you may decide to ask for alimony from your ex to help you get by financially as you adjust to life on your own. Whether the state awards you alimony in your divorce depends on a wide variety of factors, including whether the courts believe such an award would be “reasonable.”
Per the Pennsylvania General Assembly, you should expect the state to reflect on the following when deciding if your former spouse should have to pay you alimony after your split.
Each of your earning abilities
You face a better chance of getting alimony if the courts believe you are going to have a hard time finding gainful employment. Factors that help determine whether this might happen include your age, level of education and how long you have been out of the workforce, among others.
The duration of your marriage
You may also face an elevated chance of getting alimony if your marriage was a long one. This may be due to the fact that, in longer marriages, the chances are higher that you made professional or financial sacrifices for the sake of your family.
The standard of living you enjoyed
The lifestyle to which you became accustomed during your marriage may also fall under the microscope when you request alimony in your divorce. Typically, courts try to create arrangements that allow you to maintain a similar standard of living to the one you enjoyed during your marriage.
This is just a small sampling of some of the variables that may come into play when you ask for alimony in a Pennsylvania divorce.