This is an area of the law the varies probably more than any other area. You could be stuck paying her for 20 years or as little as 1 year. Generally, she will be required to upgrade her education (if it had to go unfinished due to a child) or she will be required to go out and get a job. You will still likely have to pay for 1 year of alimony. As for maintenance, you might have to pay for that too but, I cannot say for how long. It depends on your income and what kind of a job she is able to obtain. Also, you would not be "stuck" paying child support. If she has primary custody, you ought to be continuing to support them. You did while they lived with you. Why would you expect that to change?
Depends on where you are. Obviously they are your kids, you need to provide support for them - so its not a case of 'getting stuck' paying it. Its a case of being a man and providing for the kids you brought into this world.
As to your wife - she only not works because she is looking after children. Its not as if she has no kids and decided to give up work for no reason. So like I say, SOME areas might say that looking after kids is good enough reason for you to pay her alimony, others might say that she is on her own.
See a lawyer and drop the attitude
In general - and in 99.9% of the matrimonial actions - yes. You supported her, and she didn't have to work outside the home The Court sees this as a joint decision. How LONG she will collect and how MUCH she will collect varies. Sometimes it's half the length of the marriage. Sometimes it's for a certain number of years, assuming it will take X years for her to establish some sort of steady employment.
It's also called spousal support, not alimony, in most States.
I would refrain from using the word "stuck" when referring to child support. That is NOT going to sound good to a Judge.
She had years of letting any job skills she had get stale or not building any so might need a few years of spousal support just to get to half were she would have been if she wasn't raising children. If she neglected her education and let her professional licenses lapse she might need a couple years support.
My niece married her high school sweet heart and had two kids one with special needs. They bought a business he ran while she ran the household and didn't work for over 12 years. She will get 5 years spousal support which included child support until their youngest is 18. Then they will revisit child support for the special needs adult child after seeing how she is needing parental support from both parents. My niece landed a job and already had one decent raise, sold the house she got in the divorce and has time to start her life over. It takes time to get established after a divorce and years of not having a career.
You will probably pay quite a bit of alimony to this woman, as well as child support.
More than likely-yes. BECAUSE SHE WAS A STAY AT HOME MOM. She did not work, so she could be home with the kids. If you don't call that work, then I don't know what is. And if you try to get out of paying alimony-you are a jerk.
Its always good to say which country you are in when you ask questions like this. Otherwise answers will be vague or nonsensical. Each country has its own rules.
In the UK the ex wife gets a percentage of your income depending upon how many children under 19 and in full time education live with her. She gets only this and her income is irrelevant.
to run a home today "everyone" has to work. Most of the time alimony is paid for the purpose to get the woman some education so she can get a decent paying job to be able to support herself while you support the kids.
Remember one thing. I understand how you feel, but your problems were with your WIFE, not with your kids. They had nothing to do with your divorce. Unfortunately they get brought into a lot of divorce issues, which is totally wrong in my opinion, but your kids do not deserve to suffer because of anything that happened with your marriage. You don't want your kids to suffer, do you? You do love them, I'm sure, and they love you as their father. You brought them into this world, and they need your support. And if you are the biological father, you are required by federal law to pay child support anyway. But do it because you want to help your kids, not because the law says that you have to. Be a good father, don't be a deadbeat dad, because if you do, you will regret it later in life
Depends on the laws where the divorce is filed. You might have to pay her some support for a while,until she is able to get a job to support herself. Also depends on her skills (her ability to get a job with her current marketable skills). A few states still have permanent alimony, but you don't hear it being awarded often.
You both worked, she just didn't work outside the home. Unless she sat around all day doing nothing, and the domestic chores were undone and the kids ran wild and did as they desired, being a homemaker/stay-at-home-mom is considered a job.
