How to Determine Alimony Amount, Duration, and Category

There are five alimony categories in Florida. Temporary support gets granted to a spouse in need during divorce proceedings. The party requesting temporary alimony should demonstrate that they need financial assistance. They should also show that their spouse has the wherewithal. This category of spousal support helps low-income earners to become financially stable in the course of a protracted divorce. It ends after the marriage gets dissolved. Bridge-the-gap alimony helps the receiving spouse to pay intermediate expenses as they transition to singlehood. The beneficiary can meet legitimate needs as they seek full-time employment or as they wait for an asset to sell. This type of support cannot exceed a set statutory period. Rehabilitative support is quite popular in Florida. It gets awarded if the beneficiary can become self-sufficient given financial support and time to acquire an education, work experience, and skills to enter the job market. Parties should create a specified and defined plan before the court awards rehabilitative support.

Durational support and rehabilitative alimonies are similar because they both have time limitations. However, no rehabilitative plan is required under durational support. Support is necessary when the spouse receiving the money needs help for a given period after getting divorced. It is often awarded if the benefiting spouse does not qualify for permanent support. The support should not exceed the duration of the marriage. Permanent support is a rare type of alimony. It is reserved for spouses who cannot become self-sufficient. Permanent support is often appropriate for aged and disabled spouses. It is also appropriate for a spouse who is taking care of special needs minors.

There are no statutory procedures for judges to follow when determining alimony. The judge evaluates several factors before awarding alimony, including living standards, duration of the marriage, and earning capacity of spouses. The only available alimony calculator Florida is the judge or spouses who have the discretion to determine alimony duration, amount, and category.