In Pennsylvania there are generally four types of support that one person can be required to pay to the other person in a family law case. The four types of support are:
- Child support
- Spousal support
- Alimony Pendente Lite (APL)
- Alimony
The parties generally must be living separate for a spouse to pursue a spousal support claim against the other spouse. A divorce case does not have to be filed. The party being asked to pay spousal support may have defenses to the payment of spousal support. Those defenses should be discussed with an attorney whether you are seeking spousal support or defending against a claim for spousal support. As with child support, there are statewide guidelines and rules that govern spousal support.
This short summary on spousal support is not intended to provide legal advice and you should speak to an attorney about your individual situation. There is much more to filing a claim for spousal support than can be described in this limited space. Please feel free to contact me via email or by telephone to schedule an appointment to discuss this claim further.