How does the court calculate alimony?

You can find a New Jersey alimony calculator relatively easily online. How accurate are these tools?

Unfortunately, the answer is that they may not apply to your unique situation. Alimony is more than just a three-point, simple calculation. Like many other aspects of your divorce, there could be an opportunity for you to customize it so that it is fair for everybody.

What does the court consider when deciding alimony?

Basically, the court can consider anything it believes is relevant to your case. As per New Jersey law, here are some of the factors that could apply to your alimony calculation:

• Whether you or your spouse should or could pay
• Career and education factors
• Costs and responsibilities of childcare
• History of contribution to the marriage

There are fourteen total specific factors. There are many more that could be of material interest to your case.

How do I get the best possible deal for alimony?

There is no single path to the best alimony deal. Your marriage is unique. In fact, the more specific information you can find, the more likely you are to be able to build a strong argument for your own position.

Getting a good deal sometimes means balancing alimony against other considerations you have. In addition to the total amount, you might also consider the ideal form of alimony. New Jersey law allows four types: reimbursement, open durational, limited durational and rehabilitative.

Do I have to pay (or will I get) alimony?

If you are like most people, you probably want to know how you could maximize alimony or avoid it entirely. So, will you have to pay? As you might expect, you would have to compile some relatively specific information about your marriage to answer that question.