What Are the Different Types of Alimony in Florida?

If you are going through a divorce in Florida, there are a lot of topics to discuss. For example, you may need to divide property, discuss finances, and figure out how you are going to raise your children. In addition, you may need to talk about alimony payments. Alimony is a specific type of payment that is made from one spouse to another spouse. The goal of these payments is to allow the other spouse to maintain his or her lifestyle after the divorce.

Alimony is also called spousal support, and it is distinctly different from child support. While alimony is meant to support a spouse, child support is meant to support the children. There are several different types of alimony, and you need to work with a lawyer who can help you figure out what is best for your needs.

Temporary Alimony

One of the most common types of alimony is called temporary alimony. Temporary alimony is ordered when the parties separate prior to the divorce. Specifically, this type of alimony is only meant to be put in place while the divorce process unfolds. This type of alimony will either disappear or convert to a different type of alimony after the divorce is finalized.

The most common reason why this type of alimony is ordered is because the other spouse might not have the financial resources to pay for a lawyer to represent his or her best interest during the divorce proceedings. If someone needs extra money simply to continue the action of the divorce, then temporary alimony could be ordered.

Rehabilitative Alimony

Another common type of alimony is called rehabilitative alimony. A court may order rehabilitative alimony for a certain amount of time. This type of alimony is usually given to help a spouse re-enter the workplace. For example, someone may have been a stay-at-home spouse. As a result, they may not have the skills to support themselves. Therefore, the court may order rehabilitative alimony to support that spouse while he or she goes back to school or receives additional training.

After the training is completed, this type of alimony may come up for review again. At the review, the alimony may be removed, reduced, or kept in place. Rehabilitative alimony can also be paired with another type of alimony. Typically, rehabilitative alimony goes away when the spouse obtains full-time employment.

Bridge the Gap Alimony

Bridge the gap alimony is very similar to rehabilitative alimony. Bridge the gap alimony is typically ordered to help a spouse cover living expenses while looking for a job. If a spouse does not have to go back to school, they may not require as much support; however, if they do not currently have a job, they will need some support until they can find one. Bridge the gap alimony might be in order to cover the living expenses of another spouse until he or she can find full-time employment.

Similar to rehabilitative alimony, this type of alimony typically goes away when the spouse finds a full-time job. At that time, the alimony will either be converted to a different type of alimony, reduced, or removed entirely.

Permanent Alimony

In addition, a court may decide to order permanent alimony. As the name suggests, this type of alimony is meant to be in place permanently. Even though the size of the alimony payments might be changed over time, they are never intended to disappear fully. Typically, permanent alimony is only ordered if the marriage has lasted for ten or more years. Furthermore, this type of alimony is only ordered if the other spouse does not have any hope of re-entering the workforce. If there are substantial changes in income or expenses on either side, then the payments could be adjusted.

There are several situations where permanent alimony could be removed. For example, if either spouse passes away, then the alimony payments stop as well. Or, if the spouse receiving the money gets remarried, the permanent alimony payments will also be removed.

Durational Alimony

Finally, the final type of alimony is called durational alimony. In this type of alimony arrangement, the payments are put in place for a set amount of time. Typically, the judge specifies that alimony payments are going to be made for a certain number of months or years. Then, after the expiration date, the alimony payments are going to go away.

If there is a specific set of circumstances that must be addressed, but that circumstance has an expiration date, then durational alimony could be ordered. Even though there is a chance that this alimony payment could be reviewed and extended, that is not the intention of this type of arrangement.

Factors Determining Alimony Payments

These are the most common types of alimony payments that might be ordered in Florida. So, what factors determine whether someone receives alimony payments? The biggest factors determining alimony payments are the earning potentials of each spouse and the lifestyle that each spouse led prior to the divorce. The goal is to allow each individual spouse to maintain a lifestyle that is close to the one they had when they were married.

In some cases, this means that one spouse may have to give money to the other spouse. The most common situation where this happens is when one spouse was a stay-at-home spouse during the duration of the marriage. As a result, after the divorce, they are not going to have a lot of earning potential. They may have to go back to school, or they may not be able to enter the workforce at all. As a result, the spouse may receive alimony payments as ordered by the court.

Rely on Aaron Delgado & Associates for Help with Alimony Payments in Florida

During a divorce, alimony payments are a big deal. You need to hire a lawyer who can advocate for your best interests. At Aaron Delgado & Associates, we can help you with alimony payments in Florida. We will take a close look at your situation, figure out whether alimony payments are warranted, and make sure we advocate for your rights. We can also act as a guide through the legal system, making sure you always have someone in your corner vigorously advocating for you.

If you are going through a divorce, this is not something you need to handle on your own. You need to rely on a legal professional who can help you. Contact us today to speak to a member of our team. It would be our honor to represent you as your divorce proceeds.