Login / Register | Select Category » Alimony and Support Issues » Wisconsin Alimony - Help

Name: dvsdawg New Member   Title: Wisconsin Alimony - Help

Can anyone provide guidance, or share similar stories? I make 150K, while my spouse makes 53K per year. I have been ordered to pay $1600 per month in child support. How much can I expect to pay in alimony and for how long. We have been married for 13 years.

Name: madalex Member

There are no hard and fast rules about alimony or calculators for alimony like there are for child support.

A general "rule of thumb" as to the duration of alimony is that it lasts for up to the 1/2 the length of the marriage. So, you may be looking at as long as 6.5 years, but again, there is no requirement to that effect.

As to amount, it is important to note that alimony is not about equalizing incomes; it is about allowing a spouse with less earning power the opportunity to get the education and/or skills necessary to support him/herself. It currently appears that your spouse is more than capable of supporting herself ($53K in her own income, plus another almost $20K in tax free CS is plenty of money). So, from that perspective, you should argue that alimony is neither necessary or appropriate.