In many cases, someone who is asking for spousal support needs it on a long-term basis. For instance, maybe two people have been married for 25 years. Twenty years ago, they had their first child, and one spouse quit their job to stay home. With a two-decade gap on their résumé, they’re not sure if they’re going to be able to go back to work, so they need alimony payments from their ex—who they assumed would support them during the marriage, up until they filed for divorce.
But it’s also possible for the court to order temporary spousal support, which may be very short-term, lasting just a few months. Why would this be used?
Support during the divorce itself
The thing to remember about a divorce case is that, even in the best of situations, it takes time to complete. Many couples will spend from six months to a year going through this process.
Long-term alimony may be part of the overall divorce agreement, but temporary support is used in the meantime. The person who hasn’t been working still has to pay rent, buy groceries, pay for transportation and more. Since they need to cover these costs for months before they have their long-term alimony order, temporary support will be used to bridge the gap. This way, they can focus on the divorce proceedings themselves without having to worry about running into significant financial hurdles.
With both types of alimony, the court will consider the length of the marriage and a wide variety of other factors to determine what is appropriate. Couples may find themselves involved in a dispute, which is when it’s important to know what legal steps to take.