Alimony

Maintenance/Alimony

In some cases, a spouse will request alimony. Generally, the spouse requesting maintenance has been married for several years and is earning significantly less than the other spouse.

In Florida, there are several types of alimony:

• Temporary alimony is awarded during the pendency of a dissolution of marriage action. Temporary maintenance allows the spouse to continue to pay the monthly bills and purchase everyday necessities during the divorce proceeding but prior to the entry of the final decree.
• Lump sum alimony is given when a spouse gives the requesting spouse a lump sum of money or a lump sum of assets.
• Rehabilitative alimony is money given to the requesting spouse that allows that spouse to go to school or improve his/her education to obtain employable skills.
• Durational alimony provides a party with economic assistance for a set period of time.
• Bridge-the-Gap alimony is short time alimony that cannot exceed two years. It allows the party to ease the financial transition from married life to single life.

Awards of alimony varies depending on the length of the marriage, the parties' standard of living, the contribution of each spouse, and other factors set out in the Florida Statute.

It is important for your attorney to know all the facts of your case before recommending a request for maintenance. Case law drives the trends in maintenance awards.

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