When your Florida marriage ends, you may have concerns about supporting yourself and maintaining the lifestyle you currently enjoy with your former partner’s financial help. Depending on certain factors, you may be able to secure an alimony award in your split. Whether you get alimony depends on a number of key variables, including how long your marriage lasted and whether you made professional sacrifices for the sake of your partner and family.
If you do get alimony in your divorce, the Florida Legislature notes that you may get one of the following four types of alimony.
Bridge-the-gap alimony
Bridge-the-gap alimony lasts two years, at most, and seeks to give you a chance to get back on your feet so that you may begin supporting yourself again.
Rehabilitative alimony
Rehabilitative alimony requires that you present a clear plan for rehabilitation so that you may become self-sufficient. You must demonstrate that you have a plan for either acquiring new professional skills or redeveloping the professional skills or credentials you may already have.
Durational alimony
Durational alimony exists for a set span and may come into play if a permanent alimony award is inappropriate. This type of alimony award ends when the durational term ends, when one of you dies or if you remarry.
Permanent alimony
Permanent alimony awards are not very common. However, if you had a lengthy marriage and have no realistic way of reentering the workforce and supporting yourself, you may be able to get permanent alimony.
While marriage length and employability are among the factors that determine if you get alimony, many other variables may, too, fall under the microscope.
