How Much Do You Have to Downgrade Your Lifestyle While Your Divorce Case Is Pending?
Temporary alimony, also known as pendente lite alimony, is the most common type of spousal support awarded in Florida divorce cases. To the relief of spouses who pay alimony, a pendente lite alimony order automatically terminates when the divorce becomes final; after that, the court may or may not replace it with another alimony order. Even though Florida courts no longer award permanent alimony, which means that all alimony awards are of finite duration, Florida law only uses the term “temporary alimony” to refer to spousal support orders for divorce cases that are currently pending. Even though temporary alimony is, by nature, a self-limiting problem, it is still often a contentious issue in high conflict divorces. If you and your spouse cannot agree on how much alimony is appropriate for now, to say nothing of how much is appropriate for the years following your divorce, contact a Boca Raton alimony lawyer.
Be Frugal for Now Until the Judge Decides on an Alimony Award
The purpose of durational alimony is to keep both spouses at a standard of living like the one they had during the marriage. Rehabilitative alimony and bridge the gap alimony aim to enable the recipient spouse to achieve that standard of living without the paying spouse’s help, by the time the brief period of alimony ends. By contrast, the purpose of pendente lite alimony is to keep the household bills paid until the divorce becomes final, to avoid making things worse. For many high net worth couples, reality hits when it is time to calculate alimony; the couple has lived beyond their means, and any feasible alimony amount will mean that they must both downgrade their lifestyles.
In one Florida case, the court ordered the husband to pay the wife $2,000 in temporary alimony per month. The husband’s income was $5,000 per month, and his own expenses were $3,500 per month, so the alimony award sent him deeper into debt with every installment payment. The wife had moved in with her parents, so her expenses were lower, and the court reduced the alimony amount to reflect this.
Keep Track of Every Penny If You Are Planning to File for Bankruptcy When Your Divorce Becomes Final
It is not just your imagination if you think that paying alimony to your ex and keeping up with all your other debt obligations is unsustainable. For this reason, recently divorced people account for a large share of bankruptcy filings. If you are planning to file for bankruptcy after your divorce is final, don’t let your dischargeable debts pile up. Keep making the minimum payments, even if it means lean times while your divorce is pending. Every day, you are getting closer to being single and to discharging your eligible debts.
Contact Schwartz | White About Alimony and Taxes
A South Florida family law attorney can help you get a fair temporary alimony award. Contact Schwartz | White in Boca Raton, Florida about your case.
Source:
scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3365523327407804919&q=temporary+alimony&hl=en&as_sdt=4,10&as_ylo=2014&as_yhi=2024
