If you are going through a divorce, you may have heard of alimony and wondered what it is. Many confuse alimony with child support in Dandenong, but the two types of allowance are for different purposes.
Alimony, or spousal maintenance, is a payment made from one member of the former couple to the other in order to support their standard of living. Sometimes this is a one-time lump sum of money given to the spouse, otherwise it is a regular allowance, either in perpetuity or for a set amount of time.

Child support is a regular payment given to the spouse who is the primary carer of the children; this money is for expenses relating to care of the child. This is a separate payment to spousal maintenance. Most people receiving child support do not receive alimony, and one does not need to be receiving child support in order to obtain alimony. In fact, there do not even need to be any children from the union in order for a spouse to file for alimony.

Spousal maintenance has a reputation for being a sort of retirement pension for former trophy wives. Whether or not you think trophy wives deserve payment after their marriage ends for wasting their youth, you may be surprised to learn that alimony may be a solution for you. For example, if you have spent the last ten years out of the formal workforce as you have been assisting your husband in building his political career and now have limited job prospects while he bathes in cash, you could be successful in obtaining an allowance from him.

If you think you should receiving alimony from your former husband or wife, you should discuss this with your lawyer at the first opportunity. Now you know what alimony is, as well as some tips for going through a court of law to secure alimony payments.