How Spousal Support Can Help You Financially Recover After a Divorce

Recovery from divorce can be challenging both emotionally and financially. Particularly if you make less money than your spouse or have been out of the workforce for years, it can be difficult to adjust to being the sole wage earner. In some cases, alimony can provide the financial relief you need to get through this difficult time, helping you maintain your manner of living while you get back on your feet.

Types of Alimony Available In Florida

Under Section 61.08 of the Florida Statutes, alimony may be available in certain Florida divorce cases. It may either be awarded by the judge as part of your divorce order, or it may be negotiated as part of your divorce settlement or in a marital agreement. Depending on the situation, there are four different types of alimony you may be entitled to:

Bridge the gap alimony: This is a short-term solution, meant to help you make the adjustment from being married to being single. Bridge the gap alimony is available for a period of two years.
Rehabilitative alimony: This type of alimony can help you in becoming self-supporting, by giving the opportunity to get an education or career training.
Durational alimony: This is designed to provide you with financial support for a period of time after your divorce, such as while you are raising small children or while you re-establish yourself in your career field.
Permanent alimony: As the name implies, this type of alimony provides permanent, periodic payments which help you maintain the manner of living your enjoyed during the marriage.

Are You Entitled to Alimony?

Divorce can have significant impacts on your ability to provide financially for yourself and your children, requiring as much as a 30 percent increase in income just to maintain your previous living standards. In addition to lost wages, consider all the tasks married couples often help each other with around the house, such as meal planning, child care, transportation, and home improvements, and it is easy to see how these costs can add up. Under Florida’s alimony laws, you may be entitled to spousal support in the following situations:

If you and your spouse were in a long-term marriage, where you may have been looking forward to sharing in retirement benefits;
If your spouse has considerably more earnings or personal assets and property than you do;
If you made career or educational sacrifices to support your spouse or children of the marriage;
If you contributed to increasing the value of assets of a business your spouse owned, without drawing an income.

Contact Us Today for Help

During a divorce, it is important to get what you are entitled to in your divorce settlement. In some cases, this involves spousal support while you make the adjustment to being single and providing for yourself. To discuss whether alimony might be available in your situation, reach out and contact attorney Vanessa L. Prieto to request a consultation today.