Do I Have to Financially Support My Spouse During Separation?

 Posted on June 10, 2022 in Divorce

 Separation before a divorce can be confusing for many reasons. While you are still legally married, you and your partner may live apart. Your partnership may feel more like a series of legal obligations to sort through before your divorce is finalized. While being separated allows couples to begin independent lives as single individuals, spouses still have legal obligations to one another. Partners must make many decisions during separation, including how to remain financially afloat. 

Who Pays the Bills?

Illinois courts will attempt to maintain the status quo when deciding who pays which bills throughout the divorce process. Essentially, this means that whatever the strategy was for paying the bills before separation will be maintained. For example, if your spouse would typically pay the mortgage payments, and you would pay for the cars, this payment schedule is expected to be maintained throughout the separation. 

Maintaining the status quo for bill payments throughout separation is beneficial because it helps prevent unnecessary contention between spouses. As the divorce process unfolds, couples may argue over various decisions, such as child care, property division, and debt allocation. By enforcing each spouse to maintain the bills they were capable of paying before separation, family units will have one less task to consider.

Temporary Spousal Support

Although Ilinois likes to maintain the status quo for bill payments, this is not always beneficial for couples with a large income gap. Separation can be very challenging when one spouse is used to being financially supported by the other. For example, a non-working spouse may rely on their partner for a home, car payments, and other essentials. 

When a non-working or stay-at-home spouse becomes financially disadvantaged by separation or divorce, they can apply for temporary spousal support. Temporary spousal support is used for spouses trying to prepare for life as a single- or no-income individual. The spousal support may help lesser-earning sposues pay their share of bills while they look for another job.

Speak to a DuPage County Divorce and Family Lawyer 

As you prepare for a separation or divorce and begin to split your family into two separate units, Law Office of Ronald L. Hendrix, P.C. can help you. DuPage County divorce and family attorneys Ronald and Christopher Hendrix have over 30 years of combined legal experience working to support families through various legal circumstances, including financial obligations through separation. If you have legal questions regarding your divorce, please contact us today by calling 630-355-7776.

Source:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=075000050HPt%2E+IV&ActID=2086&ChapterID=59&SeqStart=3900000&SeqEnd=5400000