Alimony (also known as spousal support) can play an important role in a divorce. A higher-earning spouse can provide financial support to a spouse who earns less, who made career sacrifices for the benefit of the family during the marriage or who has medical issues that prevent them from working.
Alimony helps protect those who may not be able to live independently after a divorce. How long the payments last and the amount of each payment can be vastly different from one case to the next. The Tennessee family courts have the authority to order five different types of alimony in different scenarios.
Temporary alimony
Also known as alimony pendente lite, temporary alimony helps support a lower-earning or dependent spouse during the divorce process. These orders help them cover housing expenses and other immediate costs. Temporary alimony ends when the courts officially dissolve the marital relationship.
Alimony in solido
People sometimes refer to this form of alimony as lump-sum alimony. However, this is a misnomer, as alimony in solido is actually a component of property division rather than a type of spousal support. One spouse makes regular payments to the other to make the distribution of large assets, like real property, more equitable. Alimony in solido may involve a single payment or a series of structured payments that provide a specific amount of support.
Rehabilitative alimony
Many people who have made career sacrifices for the sake of their families need time to reenter the workforce and rebuild their earning potential. They may need to undergo training or work an entry-level job. Rehabilitative alimony helps them cover their expenses while they redevelop their professional status.
Transitional alimony
Divorce often results in a significant change in an individual’s standard of living. Transitional alimony can help a lower-earning spouse slowly acclimate to their new standard of living. The payments typically last for a specific amount of time, often only a few years.
Alimony in futuro
People sometimes refer to this as periodic alimony. In scenarios where rehabilitative or transitional alimony is not adequate to adjust the discrepancy in spouses’ financial circumstances, judges may agree to award the lower-earning spouse periodic alimony. The payments can help people cover job training expenses and cost of living expenses after a divorce.
Those pursuing alimony and those responding to a request for it typically need to understand the law and the options available. Spousal support or alimony can be an important means of ensuring fairness during and after a divorce. Those anticipating alimony-related complications during divorce proceedings may need help negotiating appropriate terms, and that’s okay.