# Spousal support - dependent spouse
**URL:** https://forum.rosen.com/t/spousal-support-dependent-spouse/16253
**Category:** Divorce and Separation Answers
**Created:** [May 9, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://forum.rosen.com/t/spousal-support-dependent-spouse/16253 "2015-05-09T21:30:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Separating2015](https://forum.rosen.com/u/Separating2015)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://forum.rosen.com/t/spousal-support-dependent-spouse/16253/1 "2015-05-09T21:30:37Z")
My husband makes around $200k per year. We have been married 12 years. I had started a career as a CPA before we got married but only had about 5 years experience. Most I ever made was around $50k before marriage. Husband did not want me to work after we had (2) children, so I only did a little contract work and kept up my license. He even told me one time I should give up my license. My gross income from a small amount of contract work was only around 15k last year. Now we are separating and he only wants to give me the minimum child support and spousal support of $1200 for 2 years. He says I have the ability to make as much as him. I will have custody of children the majority of the time ( he will get them about 45 nights a year). In this situation how much spousal support should I ask for or expect? It will take time for me to get a career back on track and will not be easy since I have the children almost full time.
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### Author:  [@Lindsay\_Willis](https://forum.rosen.com/u/Lindsay_Willis)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://forum.rosen.com/t/spousal-support-dependent-spouse/16253/2 "2015-05-14T14:30:44Z")
There are no guidelines or formulas that the court will employ when it comes to alimony; the judges are given wide discretion on this. To get an idea of what your need is with regard to alimony, you can use our [Alimony Calculator](https://www.rosen.com/alimony-calculator/). Keep in mind that this is just a tool to give you an idea with regard to spousal support, but not based on any NC law. A general rule of thumb that some judges employ is that alimony should last for half the years of the marriage (in your case 6 years), but again that is not an actual law here in NC.