Have you and your partner decided to get a divorce? Then the first step is to meet with an attorney who is well versed with the alimony and divorce laws in Florida and can tell you about your rights. One of the rights that a spouse has during divorce is to ask for spousal support or alimony. If you earn less than your spouse or if you are unemployed at the time of the divorce, then you have a right to get alimony. Alimony is financial assistance that the spouse who is financially weaker gets from the other.
When is alimony paid?
Alimony is paid by one spouse to another after a divorce. So a spouse has to establish a need for alimony and place a request for it through the court of law. At the same time, the other spouse must have the ability to pay alimony as requested by the partner. To determine whether or not you have a right to ask for alimony, seek the counsel of a Florida, divorce lawyer.
How is alimony determined?
In case of child support after a divorce, there are certain calculations that are taken into account and the amount payable is determined. But no such formula exists for calculating alimony. The amount is decided based on the individual situation in each case, based on certain economic factors that the court will consider.
These include the standard of living that the spouses have established during the marriage, the age of the spouse requesting alimony, the physical and mental condition of the spouse, the length of the marriage, the ability and qualification of the spouse that requested the alimony and any other factor that will make it equal and just between the partners.
Types of alimony
Talk to your lawyer about the different ways in which your spouse can pay alimony to the other. Usually, spouses with a higher income pay a sum of money periodically to the other until the financially weaker spouse is able to earn enough money to sustain the established standard of living. The two parties involved in a divorce can also consent to lump sum alimony, which is common in case the parting has not been an amicable one, and the spouses do not want to interact with each other in the future.
Alimony can also be rehabilitation alimony, which is paid to enable the partner to obtain the necessary qualifications and skills needed to earn adequate amounts of money. Bridge-gap alimony is paid to enable the partner to adjust from being married to becoming and living as a single person again.
Are you in need of a good Florida divorce attorney? Contact us today.
John F. Greene is a divorce lawyer in the Destin and Panama City, Florida areas. John has years of experience helping people with divorce and alimony legal matters, so contact John online or call his office (850) 424-6833 for a consultation.
