Many people think that spousal support is always awarded and always is granted to the wife. However, spousal support may be awarded where it is shown that one spouse needs support and that the other spouse has the ability to pay that support.

This means that the wife could be paying support to the husband or the other way around. It can also mean that spousal support is not awarded at all. The court will look at the specific facts and determine if one of the parties needs to pay support to the other party. It is important to provide to the court relevant information that goes to establish why support is needed or why should is not needed and should be denied.

Spousal support may be temporary or permanent and will depend on things such as need, ability to pay, and the length of the marriage.