WASHINGTON Part 28

Especially in the case of a long marriage, a dependent spouse may need additional education or training to achieve financial independence. Where this is the case, a court also considers, among other factors, the time necessary for the requesting spouse to complete training and find employment that is appropriate to this spouse’s skills and interests.

In addition to these listed factors, a court is free to look at anything else that impacts the spouses’ financial well-being after divorce. It also has wide discretion in how the payments are structured. For example, a court could order payments to be made on a temporary basis, permanently, or a combination of the two. Also, payments could be made in lump sum, periodically, or both.