General Term Alimony – available to a spouse who economically dependent on the other spouse. Duration of the General Term Alimony is determined by the length of the marriage.
Rehabilitative Alimony – granted to a spouse who is expected to become self-sufficient by a predicted time. The Duration of Rehabilitative Alimony shall not exceed 5 years.
Reimbursement Alimony -is only available to spouses who have been married less than 5 years and is available to recompense for contribution to payor’s financial resources. Reimbursement Alimony could be paid in periodic increments or as a one-time payment.
Transitional Alimony – is also only available to spouses who have been married less than 5 years and is granted to transition recipient to adjust their lifestyle or location. This can be paid in increments or as a one-time payment.
First and foremost, alimony is based upon the financial needs of the recipient. The discrepancy in the parties’ income is first reviewed as well as the financial conditions of the parties. The most important factors considered by the court in determining if alimony is appropriate and, if so, how much alimony is appropriate, are the parties’ respective earnings and the length of the marriage.
Unlike Child Support, Alimony is not collected by the Department of Revenue. It is the responsibility of the payor to ensure that the payments are made as ordered. If the paying spouse fails to make alimony payments as ordered, the recipient must file a Complaint for Contempt to enforce the Order.
Most existing Alimony orders can be modified due to a significant change of circumstances of one or both of the parties. Under the current law, payment can be modified due to a change in employment, retirement of the payor or cohabitation of the payee with another adult who is financially contributing to the household.
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