What will determine Maintenance in a Louisville divorce? Divorce often creates inequitable financial challenges for the parties. This is especially true when one of the parties earns more than the other. Kentucky family law provides Maintenance as a way to equalize the opportunity for each party to have the opportunity to financially manage life post-divorce.
Eligibility for and the calculation of Maintenance is not as clearly defined as Kentucky’s child support guidelines, and is based upon several factors including but not limited to:
- The duration of the marriage
- The health and employment viability of each party
- The present and potential earnings of each former spouse
- The career sacrifices of one spouse during the marriage for the support and benefit of the other
The legal skill and experience of your divorce and family law attorney will have a substantial impact on the establishment of Maintenance in your case.
Maintenance in a Louisville divorce does not have to go on forever. The Court will often provide a time frame for the recipient to become financially self-sustaining.
It may take 3 to 5 years for the recipient of Maintenance to learn new job skills, seek education or training that will enhance their career and earnings potential. It is important to ensure that clear benchmarks and time frames are established to prevent the Maintenance from continuing indefinitely in these cases.
When the marriage has lasted longer than ten years, the duration of Maintenance may be substantially increased. In “long-term” marriages Maintenance may continue until the recipient remarries, experiences a substantial change in income or lifestyle, or one of the parties passes away.
The attorneys at Dodd & Dodd work to understand our client’s needs, goals and objectives. We aggressively advocate our client’s position. If you are concerned about Maintenance in your Jefferson County or Louisville divorce we invite you to contact us or call 502-584-1108 to schedule an appointment with one of our attorneys.
