Your spouse makes a lot of money, and you’ve given up your work to support them and raise your children. Now that you’re divorcing, it may feel fundamentally unfair that they get to keep their financial security while you have to find out how to maintain the life to which you’ve been accustomed.

While obtaining your fair part of the marital estate through the property division procedure can be beneficial to some extent, it may not be sufficient. If this is the case with you, it is important to consider consulting spousal support lawyers and developing a strong spousal support argument.

But how can one properly plead for alimony? After all, it can be a contentious matter, so you should be well-prepared with strong legal reasons before beginning your divorce. Let’s get started and talk about how you can make a strong case for the spousal assistance you deserve.

Put together documents that show the lifestyle you enjoyed during your marriage.

The court will try to issue a spousal support order that will allow you and your husband to maintain your marital standard of living after the divorce. This may not be entirely achievable, but the court will try its best. So, collect proof that truly depicts your life during your marriage.

While the house you shared with your husband can be useful here, don’t forget about information like how regularly you shopped for new clothes, how often you ate out at restaurants, what types of restaurants you visited, and the vacations you had.

If you are unsure whether something pertains to the marital standard of living, it is preferable to include it. Gather everything from shopping receipts to vehicle titles and vacation invoices, and be prepared to testify about your marital life.

Show your sacrifices

The court will sympathize with your position if you can demonstrate that your circumstances are the result of sacrifices made for your spouse and family. So, if true, demonstrate how you sacrificed your education or career to raise your children or run the household while your spouse pursued their education or career.

This can include having admission letters to school, or job offers that you didn’t take for the sake of the family.

Did you have to change states for the sake of your family? Show this.

Show the court the type of job you qualify for

Before granting alimony, the court will consider your ability to obtain financial resources on your own. After all, most spousal support is intended to give stability until the receiving spouse achieves self-sufficiency.

If you can establish that you have pursued employment but are still lacking the financial resources that you require and deserve, you will be in a better position to collect what you are owed.

Give your anticipated income and expenses.

The court will seek a realistic picture of your income and expenses to assess the financial resources you require to exist and maintain your marital quality of living. A post-divorce budget might help you set realistic expectations and know exactly what you need to ask for.

Demonstrate your partner’s ability to pay

The court will only require your spouse to pay support if they can afford it. As a result, you must be able to demonstrate that they have the necessary income to pay the requested support.

This will require you to show their financial statement and even their pay slip if possible. For your case to be strong, ensure that you get these documents the right way. If you need to get a court order, get it.

Don’t try to go behind your partner or use shady ways to get the documents, as chances are that they will be thrown out of court.

Create a budget that illustrates your planned costs in relation to your income. This can provide the court with a road plan for what you’ll need when your divorce is finalized until you’re self-sufficient.

Show proof of the length of the marriage.

What year did you marry? How many years have you been married? How old were you when you married (for example, after college or later in life)?

All of these details should be at your fingertips, and you should have the necessary documents to back it up.

Remember that the longer you have been married, the higher the chances that you will get spousal support.

Show your age and health condition.

How old are you? How many years till you may get Social Security? Do you have any health issues that may limit your capacity to work or generate an income? You should show this information in your filing.

How long have you had the health condition(s)? Have there been any instances where your health condition has stopped or hampered you from working?

If you have a condition, you should talk to your attorney and see how you can use it to your advantage and ensure that you get the spousal support that you are after.

Demonstrate that you will be the primary caregiver after divorce

What ages are your children? If they are young, they definitely need care, and chances are that you will be the one providing it.

What was your child-care arrangement during the marriage – did your spouse want you at home, or did you hire a nanny? If they didn’t, you should show this and show how good of a caregiver you were during the marriage.

How frequently will your spouse have your children during the work week? The less frequent, the better for you, as you will most likely get better spousal support. Do you have a special needs child who needs more time and attention? You should show this and show the amount of special care they need.

Be ready to ask for spousal support that you deserve

There is no certainty that you will receive spousal support throughout your divorce, but you should have compelling reasons to help you get there.

You do not want to pass up that opportunity. So, if you want to recover the spousal support you deserve, now is the time to begin gathering the proof you need to achieve your goal.

While you are at it, remember to get top-rated divorce lawyers Fairfax VA to help you in your journey.