Alimony is an amount paid by one spouse to the other due to a divorce.
The court considers multiple factors to determine if one spouse should pay the other alimony. Florida law allows for six different kinds of alimony payments in a divorce.
1. Lump sum alimony
A lump sum alimony payment is a one-time payment from one spouse. After this payment, the paying spouse will have no further alimony obligations.
2. Bridge-the-gap payments
This type of temporary alimony payment provides one spouse assistance while adjusting to living a single lifestyle. A spouse with fewer means than the other may struggle to make ends meet after a divorce.
3. Temporary alimony
One spouse may have to pay interim payments to the other. Temporary alimony is usually ordered to assist with the household bills.
4. Permanent periodic payments
A court may order one spouse to pay the other regular, recurring payments for the remainder of the payee’s life or until the payee remarries.
5. Rehabilitative alimony
The purpose of rehabilitative alimony is for one spouse to support the other while they obtain the skills necessary to find a job to support themselves. The receiving spouse must advise on their plan to become self-sufficient.
6. Durational payments
The judge may award a durational payment for marriages that did not last very long. The period of payments will not exceed the total time of the marriage.
Alimony is often a point of contention in a divorce, and the court may have to make the final decision.
