Alimony and Spousal Support

Tampa Divorce & Family Law Attorneys

Alimony is defined as financial support the court orders one spouse to pay the other on a temporary or permanent basis due to a divorce. While the husband is most often the spouse ordered to pay alimony, under Florida law, alimony is gender neutral. Either the husband or the wife may become obligated to pay alimony and may depend on equitable division of assets.

The purpose of alimony is to enable a spouse to continue to live in a lifestyle or standard of living similar to what was enjoyed during the marriage.

There are several different types of alimony in the State of Florida including:

Temporary Alimony - financial support one spouse pays the other while the divorce is pending to enable the spouse to continue the status quo of his or her standard of living while the divorce proceedings progress. Usually temporary alimony is paid monthly and lasts only until the divorce is final. However, upon completion of the divorce, a final judgment may include provisions for alimony beyond the entry of the divorce judgment. Such forms of alimony are permanent periodic alimony, rehabilitative alimony, bridge-the-gap alimony and/or lump sum alimony.

Permanent periodic alimony - usually ordered in long-term marriages, ends upon death or remarriage. An award of permanent periodic alimony is based upon several factors, including length of marriage; one spouse’s need, the other spouse’s ability to pay such alimony, as well as the age and health of the parties.

Rehabilitative alimony - frequently used in shorter term marriages, is used to allow one spouse to become retrained, or gain further education, so that they can become self-supporting. Rehabilitative alimony is generally awarded for a finite period of time and is presented with a plan of rehabilitation.

Lump Sum Alimony - A determination for a payment of lump sum alimony from one spouse to the other is where one payment, or periodic payments for a set period of time, is awarded. Lump sum alimony may be warranted for support or as a means to transfer assets between spouses. Such payments may include “bridge-the-gap” alimony which is short-term alimony intended to help one spouse’s transition from married life to self-sufficient, single life.

If you need legal advice or representation, regarding alimony in Florida, the Tampa divorce attorneys at the law firm of The Carey Law Group, P.A. will be happy to discuss your concerns. Please contact us online call our office at (813) 874-0081 to arrange an appointment.