• Home
  • Firm Overview
    ▼
    • My Practice
    • Professional History
    • Memberships, Activities, Recognition
  • Practice Areas
    ▼
    • Divorce
    • Collaborative Divorce
    • Mediation
    • Parenting Rights
    • Probate, Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning
  • FAQs
    ▼
    • Just Been Served Papers? Now What?
    • Child Support FAQs
    • How Long Does It Take To Get A Divorce?
    • Is There Such a Thing as Legal Separation?
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Paula Lock Smyth

Dallas Family Law & Divorce Attorney

  • Home
  • Firm Overview
    • My Practice
    • Professional History
    • Memberships, Activities, Recognition
  • Practice Areas
    • Divorce
    • Collaborative Divorce
    • Mediation
    • Parenting Rights
    • Probate, Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning
  • FAQs
    • Just Been Served Papers? Now What?
    • Child Support FAQs
    • How Long Does It Take To Get A Divorce?
    • Is There Such a Thing as Legal Separation?
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Blog / Divorce / The relevance of divorce after 10 years of marriage

The relevance of divorce after 10 years of marriage

July 24, 2015 By legal staff - W.C.

As one of Hollywood’s favorite couples announced the end of their marriage last month, many people expressed sadness at the fact that Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck made the announcement a day after their tenth anniversary. Texas residents may be surprised to know that 10 years is an important milestone in a marriage, not just for emotional reasons but also for legal reasons.

In many states, including Texas, if the marriage has lasted longer than 10 years, it is termed a long-term marriage. This designation has implications on both the amount and the duration of spousal support — called maintenance in Texas — the court can award. The court has jurisdiction over these matters in a long-term marriage, and can award the lesser-earning spouse a greater amount of maintenance than if the marriage had ended sooner. This may be an especially important factor for couples to consider if they foresee a high asset divorce.

In addition to this, military benefits and Social Security benefits also kick in after the ten-year mark. The lesser-earning spouse becomes entitled to receive their former spouse’s Social Security benefits when they reach the eligible age.

For the purpose of asset division in a divorce, it is important to establish a formal date of separation. The court uses this date to determine business interests and evaluate properties, and having a set date certainly streamlines the process and lessens the uncertainty.

Ending a marriage is not always easy, whether the couple is famous or not. But where both spouses have dedicated a number of years of their lives to one another, the lesser-earning spouse may need certain benefits. An experienced attorney may be able to help Texas residents understand what types of benefits they may be eligible to seek.

Source: Forbes, “Why did Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner wait to split until after their tenth anniversary,” Jeff Landers, July 15, 2015

Filed Under: Divorce Tagged With: end of a marriage

Paula Lock Smyth Law Offices

2911 Turtle Creek Blvd. Ste. 300
Dallas, Texas 75219

Phone: 214-420-1800
Fax: 214-420-1801

Find what you need…

Additional Videos

VIDEO Title 1 Placeholder Text
VIDEO Title 1 Placeholder Text
VIDEO Title 1 Placeholder Text
VIDEO Title 1 Placeholder Text
VIDEO Title 1 Placeholder Text
VIDEO Title 1 Placeholder Text

Contact Us

From the Blog

Dad with three children - summer child custody

Child Custody: How Do You Manage Summer With The Kids?

  School is out and divorced parents are working out their plans for summer child custody. … [Read More...]

Paula Lock Smyth Law Offices

2911 Turtle Creek Blvd. Ste. 300
Dallas, Texas 75219

Phone: 214-420-1800
Fax: 214-420-1801

Disclaimer
The contents of this website does not imply legal advise or counsel and does not establish an attorney/client relationship. Please contact us for information on our policies regarding any relationship with clients, potential clients, or non-clients of our firm.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · by Paula Lock Smyth Law Offices. All rights reserved.

· · ·

Website Design by The Crouch Group

Log in