Dividing one household and its income does not divide the expenses of running a single household. If you have concerns about affording an independent lifestyle after divorce, you may want to explore Colorado spousal support.
Before negotiating a divorce agreement, review the factors that influence alimony in Colorado.
Spousal support formula
First, you and your spouse must provide full financial disclosure. Colorado judges calculate alimony by subtracting 50% of the requesting spouse’s income from 40% of the higher-earning spouse’s income. If you request alimony and you earn $2,000 a month, the judge would subtract $1,000 from 40% of your spouse’s monthly income. In this example, if your spouse earns $6,000 a month, the monthly spousal support payment would be $2,400 minus $1,000 or $1,400.
Adjustment factors
While the judge will use the calculation above as a starting point, he or she has the discretion to adjust spousal support for any of the following factors:
- The age and health of each of you
- How long the marriage lasted
- The employment situation and income outlook for each of you
- The lifestyle you enjoyed together while married
- The agreement about marital property division
- Whether either of you pays spousal support or child support to someone else
- Whether you receive child support for children from another marriage
If you qualify for spousal support, the court will likely impose a time limit. For example, you may receive alimony until you finish a job training program or degree. The state rarely awards indefinite spousal support, except in cases involving disability or advanced age.
