The Different Types Of Alimony Awarded By Florida Courts
Divorcing couples who cannot decide whether one spouse will owe alimony to the other upon divorce often wrongly assume that coming up with a fair resolution is a simple matter for the courts. The reality, however, is that judges take a lot of factors into account when making these determinations, as they must decide not only the amount and duration of the award, but also the type. After the recent abolition of permanent alimony in Florida, there are now three main types of alimony that a court can award. We’ve included a brief breakdown of those categories below.
Bridge-the-Gap Alimony
Courts have a few different options when awarding alimony. One is known as bridge-the-gap alimony and it is awarded to help a lower-earning spouse adapt to his or her new financial circumstances by covering certain expenses, such as:
- Housing costs;
- Food;
- Utilities
Often, bridge-the-gap alimony is awarded to those who may not qualify for other forms of maintenance, like rehabilitative alimony, but who are facing economic hardship. These awards are limited to two years, as they are specifically intended to help former spouses get back on their feet, not to support them for the foreseeable future.
Rehabilitative Alimony
Rehabilitative alimony is similar to bridge-the-gap alimony in that it is intended to help a lower-earning spouse transition to post-divorce financial life. These awards, however, are specifically awarded in cases where a lower-earning spouse is attempting to regain previous skills or get back into the job market. Rehabilitative alimony is structured, so a court will only order payments when the recipient spouse has a specific plan with predetermined goals and timelines with which they must comply. Those who fail to fulfill these requirements could end up losing their alimony award earlier than the set duration, which cannot exceed five years.
Durational Alimony
Durational alimony is the most common type of alimony award issued in Florida. There are no prerequisites with these types of awards (as with bridge-the-gap and rehabilitative alimony awards). These awards are set for a specific amount of time and the amount or duration can be adjusted or even terminated early as the needs of the parties change. Durational alimony can only be awarded following the end of a marriage that lasted for at least three years. How long the award lasts is largely dictated by the length of the marriage. For instance, for short-term marriages (lasting less than ten years), the duration of the award cannot exceed five years. The length of an alimony award for a moderate term marriages (lasting between ten and 20 years), on the other hand, could reach 60 percent of the duration of the marriage, while the end of a long-term marriage (20 or more years) could result in an alimony award with a duration of up to 75 percent of the length of the marriage. Besides the duration of the marriage, courts will also assess the parties’ incomes, financial resources, ages, health, and job prospects when deciding whether or not to order durational alimony.
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Alimony awards can vary not only in amount and duration, but in type. To learn more about the different kinds of alimony in Florida for which you could qualify, please call experienced Fort Lauderdale alimony lawyer Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. at 954-945-7591 or reach out to us via online message.
Sources:
leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.08.html
jacksonville.com/story/news/politics/2023/07/03/permanent-alimony-new-florida-law-change/70378477007/
