What Type of Alimony Should I Receive?

Alimony is an allowance out of one party’s estate that is made for the support of the other party when the two are living separately. Under Georgia law, alimony may be awarded in cases of divorce, voluntary separation, or when one spouse is abandoned or driven off by the other spouse against his or her will. Alimony can be awarded on a temporary basis or permanently and is further divided into separate types. Below is a list and brief description of each type of alimony that may be awarded in your case.

Lump Sum

A lump sum payment is exactly what it sounds like. It is a one-time payment from one spouse for the support of the other spouse. A lump sum payment avoids the frustration and complication of making monthly payments to your ex spouse. Not only this, but a lump sum payment will not have many of the constraints that other types of alimony may place on them. Instead, after the one large payment is made, it is done and over with.

Permanent Award

A permanent award of alimony is what most people think of when they think of alimony. This is an award of monthly payments from one spouse to support the other spouse. Despite the name “permanent,” this type of alimony can still have a specific time limitation. For instance, a condition can be placed for this award to only last a certain length of time or until the spouse receiving payments get married to another person.

Temporary

Temporary alimony is often awarded during the period while the divorce is still pending. This type of award is meant to support one spouse who does not have sufficient means to support themselves on their own or to wait until the divorce is finalized.

Rehabilitative

Rehabilitative alimony is used to support one spouse during the period of time it will take the spouse to retrain or complete education necessary for re-entry into the workforce, which will enable the spouse to become self-supporting in the future. Therefore, this type of alimony is limited to a specific period of time.

Reimbursement

As the term may imply, reimbursement alimony is alimony that reimburses a spouse for an expense or expenses that he or she may have paid on behalf of the other spouse. This type of alimony often arises in situations where one spouse supported the other during school to receive a degree. Reimbursement can be a lump sum or paid out over a period of time.

Palimony

Palimony is alimony for unmarried cohabitation couples. Therefore, it is an alimony-like support payment that may be available to unmarried partners who have separated after living together for a period of time. However, at this time palimony is not recognized in the state of Georgia. If you are contemplating divorce and alimony is an area of concern for you, please contact the attorneys at Vayman & Teitelbaum. Our team will discuss this option with you to help determine what type of alimony to advocate for is best for your situation. Popular Resources:

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