In some states, the court will need to include unmarried years on top of the legal marriage prior to deciding spousal support. In others, some courts won't take in any relationship outside of a legal marriage. And in some states, the supported spouse may seek from the court to award the support for unmarried partners. The claim for alimony would be for the years the couple spent cohabitation prior to the time when they legally married.
One of the simplest ways to process divorce is to figure together with your spouse to address the complete divorce outside of court. A lot of courts offer a service to couples referred to as mediation, which could be a voluntary procedure that permits both spouses to debate what they require out of the divorce. The Courts have the authority to come to a decision on property division, custody, and support issues, but only the couple knows what's best for his or her family situation.
