Missouri and Kansas Spousal Maintenance

Maintenance

For parties requesting spousal maintenance or defending a request for spousal maintenance, a proposed maintenance calculation worksheet is required. This worksheet will typically outline each parties’ gross annual domestic income and figure a percentage of the difference of the incomes as the proposed monthly or yearly spousal maintenance amount. Kansas and Missouri could not be further apart with respect to the laws governing spousal maintenance and how each is calculated. For example, in Kansas the maximum term for a spousal maintenance award is 10 years, regardless of the length of marriage. In Missouri, permanent maintenance orders are not uncommon. This means if you are dissolving a long term-marriage in in Missouri with a substantial difference in party incomes there is a chance you could be paying or receiving lifetime spousal maintenance. Further, each county within each state, and sometimes each judge or division within each county will have its own set of guidelines intended to calculate and determine spousal maintenance awards. It is important to hire an attorney who knows not only the law and the local rules or guidelines, but the tendencies of the judge presiding over your case. David Fairbanks has a wealth of experience handling spousal maintenance issues in both Kansas and Missouri and help tailor your case to comply with the rules or requirements of each judicial district.