Alimony - Basics

Alimony Basics |  Health Insurance |  Social Security Benefits

Alimony is for the Support of a Former Spouse

Alimony is money paid by one spouse to another during a divorce and after the divorce is granted, for support and maintenance as a way to prevent one spouse from having his/her standard of living change drastically with a divorce.

Alimony may be paid in a variety of ways. Alimony is for one of three purposes:

1. long term permanent support
2. rehabilitative support to help the receiving spouse reach a specific goal, or
3. to assist a spouse with a legitimate, short term need. The Court can grant a combination of alimony to meet one or all of these needs.

Bridge the Gap Alimony

Courts may grant a short term amount of alimony to ease the transition from married to single life. "Bridge the gap" alimony is designed to assist a spouse with an identifiable, legitimate, short-term need, or in situations where a lump sum amount is reasonable and helpful and the other spouse has the ability to pay the amount. It is to be used when one spouse is unable, despite his or her own best efforts, to make the transition from married life to single life.

For example, bridge the gap alimony might cover such expenses as deposits for an apartment or utilities, the lease or purchase of an automobile, or moving expenses. Bridge the gap alimony may be appropriate where there are few assets to distribute and a spouse with little or no credit history needs to make basic living arrangements and lacks the ability to purchase them.

Other examples might be when a spouse has re-entered the work force at a temporarily lower rate of pay, or when the shift in economic lifestyle caused by a divorce is so dramatic for a spouse that he or she needs temporary help to adjust to a more Spartan lifestyle.

Bridge the gap alimony is designed for short term, identifiable needs. Short term usually involves payments that do not extend more than one year.

Bridge the gap alimony is a form of lump sum alimony that does not terminate upon the death of the person paying alimony or the remarriage of the person receiving alimony.

We will have more information here on alimony in the near future.

Meanwhile, please read the section on Alimony and Social Security Benefits.