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North Carolina Alimony Laws and Spousal Support

North Carolina alimony or spousal support may be awarded to either party based upon the following factors:

• the standard of living established during the marriage;

• the comparative financial resources of the spouses, including their comparative earning abilities in the labor market and their incomes;

• the mental, physical and emotional conditions of the spouses;

• the marital misconduct of the spouses;

• the ages of the spouses;

• the contribution of one spouse to the education, training, or earning power of the other spouse;

• the effect of a spouse having primary custody of a child;

• the relative education of the spouses and the time necessary for a spouse to acquire sufficient education or training to become self-sufficient;

• the contribution of a spouse as a homemaker;

• the tax consequences;

• the ability of the spouse to pay;

• separate and marital debt;

• expenses needed to support each party;

• obligations to support others;

• property brought to the marriage;

• the relative needs of the spouses; and

• any other factor the court deems just and equitable. Spousal support will be barred based upon illicit sexual activity.

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