When couples divorce, they must address their combined financial circumstances. Divorce almost always requires property division negotiations or litigation. Spouses may also need to negotiate terms for financial support.
If one spouse left the workforce to raise the couple’s children or if health issues might prevent them from returning to work, they might request alimony or spousal support. Both the spouse asking for support and the spouse who may need to pay it have an interest in understanding how long such orders last.
Every alimony case is unique
There are three different types of alimony commonly awarded in Maryland divorces, and the duration of each is different from the next. Some people request pendente lite alimony. In plain English, they need financial support for the duration of the divorce until they can begin improving their circumstances.
Other people may request rehabilitative alimony. They ask the courts to award them support for a set amount of time, often a few years, while they go back to school or begin redeveloping their careers after time away from work.
In some cases, spouses may qualify for indefinite alimony. Long-term alimony is often only an option after a longer marriage and in scenarios where special circumstances prevent one spouse from becoming financially independent after a divorce.
In some cases, it may be possible to terminate alimony payments early when the recipient spouse improves their circumstances or there are negative financial changes for the paying spouse. Typically, the paying spouse must fulfill the court order by making monthly payments for a set amount of time.
Learning more about Maryland’s rules for alimony or spousal support can help people plan as they prepare for divorce. In many cases, alimony only lasts as long as necessary for an individual to become financially independent.
