• Learn Lousiana alimony laws.ring image by Jens Klingebiel from Fotolia.com
  
  An agreement about alimony is one of the key components of a divorce. Alimony is defined as an obligation to support your spouse even after your marriage is over. Alimony is awarded to either the wife or the husband, if he or she is without fault and does not have sufficient means to support him or herself. However, alimony laws differ from state to state, and thus it is important to understand the laws in your own state. For example, if you live in Louisiana, your alimony requirements would be different than in any other state.
  
  

Maximum Alimony Payments

• Louisiana requires that the alimony awarded to one party cannot exceed one-third of the other party's income unless this alimony is a one-time, lump-sum payment. This ensures that one party will not be unnecessarily burdened by the alimony requirements, while still respecting the right of the other party to receive payment.
  
  

Determining Payments

• The amount of alimony is dependent upon different factors that are detailed by Louisiana law. First, the court considers the effect of child custody on the spouse's earning capacity. If the party who is paying alimony is also the party who has full custody of a child, then this will affect the court's decision about the amount of alimony that is due. Similar to this consideration, the court also looks at the financial obligations of both spouses. Certainly, if one party supports a mother or a father, then the court would most likely rule that this spouse pay a smaller alimony.
  
  

Details About the Marriage

• Details about the marriage must be considered in determining alimony under Louisiana law. For example, such factors as the length of the marriage, and the age and health of the spouses must be considered by the court. Generally, a longer marriage will ensure that one party is granted larger alimony. If the spouses are both extremely young, this is a factor that the court must consider as well. Is it fair for one spouse to pay alimony for the next 20 to 30 years of his or her life? Louisiana law regulates that the court must consider these and other factors that are relevant in the particular situation before assigning alimony.