When a couple separates or divorces, the court may order one spouse to pay the other a certain amount of support money each month. This is called "spousal support." The judge will take many things into consideration when deciding what spousal support should be ordered.

Examples of some things the judge may consider are:

How long the couple has been married;
The age and health of each spouse;
How much income each can earn on their own;
What the expenses of each spouse are;
Whether there are minor children at home; and
The history of the way the couple handled money during the marriage.

Either spouse can later ask the judge to change the support amount if the situation changes. A spouse can also ask the judge for help collecting (enforcing) a support order. If the local child support agency is currently helping you collect (enforce) a child support.