Alimony is a common concern during a divorce which is often in local media in Florida. Many divorcing couples may have understandable concerns surrounding alimony and wonder what it is and how it is determined. Alimony is a payment made by one of the former spouses to the other former spouse which can be agreed upon by the divorcing couple during the divorce process or may be determined by the court during the couple’s divorce.
In some situations, one spouse will be a non-wage earning or lower-wage earning spouse. In those circumstances, alimony is designed to provide support for those spouses and provide a fair divorce settlement that allows both spouses to move forward towards a financially stable future. One of the spouses may have remained out of the workforce to care for the home and family, may have not pursued career or educational opportunities themselves are supported the other spouse in pursuing career and educational opportunities.
Alimony, sometimes referred to as spousal support, laws can vary by state but certain factors will usually be considered when determining alimony. Factors the court will consider can include the age, physical condition and emotional and financial conditions of the spouses; the length of the marriage; the couple’s standard of living during the marriage; the length of time the recipient spouse will need alimony to obtain training or education to become self sufficient; and the ability of the paying spouse to make alimony payments and also support themselves.
Alimony can be awarded for different lengths of time including rehabilitative alimony while the recipient spouse becomes self supporting or may be awarded on a permanent basis. Alimony can be a crucial issue in many divorce settlements and negotiations which is why it is helpful for couples divorcing in Florida to understand alimony, what it is, how it impacts them and what to expect.
Source: Family.findlaw.com, “Spousal Support (Alimony) Basics,” Accessed March 30, 2018
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John Schutz
Partner at John F. Schutz, P.L.
Representing clients exclusively in family law cases for the past 24 years, Mr. Schutz is widely regarded as a marital and family law expert. He is Board Certified in marital and family law by The Florida Bar. As a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), Mr. Schutz is committed to elevating the standards and improving the practice of family law.
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