When getting a divorce in Tennessee, you may have the option to receive spousal support. You may know this type of payment as alimony. The idea behind spousal support is to help provide you with a standard of living such as that you had during the marriage. This concept was a result of how in the past women stayed home to care for the family while the man worked, which led to a wide divide in income post-divorce. However, it is still useful in many situations where one spouse may not have worked as much or earned as much as the other spouse.
When it comes to spousal support, Forbes explains that the court must first go over the division of property and assignment of child support before ever touching alimony. So, it is not something you will deal with right away. The reason is that through the division of assets, your spouse may be able to make up for the difference in income by giving you more assets. When it comes to child support, that always comes first. So, if your spouse must pay a high amount of child support, you may not be able to get spousal support.
You should also note that spousal support can be temporary or ongoing. You may only receive it for a set amount of time in which you are expected to increase your own income by either finding employment or obtaining training for a better job. This information is for education and is not legal advice.