Texas law allows for the possibility of one spouse receiving regular monthly payments from the other spouse to provide for his/her minimum reasonable needs while the divorce is pending and/or after the divorce is final. Chapter 8 of the Texas Family Code spells out all the details about spousal maintenance in Texas.
Judges are given a lot of discretion in determining the amount of the payments and the duration of the payments based on the relative incomes of the parties, the duration of the marriage, whether or not one spouse is disabled, whether or not one spouse has to care for a disabled child of the marriage, whether or not family violence has occurred, whether or not the receiving spouse is required to care for young children that makes it more difficult to work outside the home due to child care expenses, etc.
Call Ken Crain at 512-630-3745 if you have questions about spousal maintenance.
