One of the most difficult things to adjust to in divorce, is running a household with one income. A single income household can be stressful for a number of reasons— especially if you were previously the homemaker and are re-entering the workforce. For this reason, alimony payments can be extremely important to helping that party get back on their feet, and find employment that can provide for a household on it’s own. However, this is not the case in every single divorce. For that reason, there are several different types of spousal support for the court to award.
Alimony Payments: Types of Spousal Support
Temporary Support
As the name suggests, this type of support is for a short time period. Temporary support exists to allow the spouse to live normally throughout the process of the divorce. While you proceed with the divorce, you may need to pay or receive an amount determined by a temporary court order.
Rehabilitative Support
After a divorce, a spouse may have to change their way of life so as to provide for themselves and their family. But having to make that adjustment so quickly can be difficult. So this type of support helps to ease the transition as a spouse begins to stand on their own. In short, it helps rehabilitate them to independence. That could mean supplying support while the spouse goes back to school or gains career experience.
Reimbursement Support
This type of spousal support reimburses the spouse for any expenses the paying spouse cost them. In short, this could mean if one spouse supports the other financially through school, that spouse may be able receive reimbursement spousal support. Because they provided financial coverage that benefitted the other spouse specifically, they now need to pay a certain amount back.
Permanent Support
In certain cases, couples may submit to lifelong support. This types of spousal support begins after divorce and continues until one of three things take place. First, the support will end if the payer dies. Next, the support may end if the recipient dies. And lastly, it may end if the recipient remarries to someone else. However, it’s important to note that the payments do not stop if the payer remarries. Also, if the payer or recipient undergoes any financial changes, that may allow for altering the support amount. For instance, if the person receiving support begins making more money, the person paying may seek to reduce the payment.
As you can see, alimony payments come in all shapes, sizes, and time periods. Ultimately, it all depends on the court and their decision on the needs of the receiver. Therefore, it’s important to have an attorney who can help you figure out what your options are. That way, you can begin to prepare for this change in lifestyle…
