Summary: Alimony comes in several types matched to different situations. Temporary support covers the divorce itself. Rehabilitative support funds retraining or re-entry into the workforce and ends on a date or event. Durational (term) support runs for a set period, often tied to marriage length. Permanent support, now rare and abolished in states like Florida, applies mainly to long marriages where self-sufficiency is unrealistic. Lump-sum and reimbursement alimony handle special cases. The type matters as much as the amount because it decides duration, modifiability, and tax-era rules.
Temporary support keeps both spouses afloat while the divorce is pending. It covers the mortgage, the bills, and the attorney retainers during the 6 to 18 months a case typically takes. Courts decide it fast, often on paperwork alone, using simplified guidelines.
Because it is decided quickly, temporary support is the bluntest instrument in the set. Do not treat it as a forecast of the final award; final orders apply the full factor analysis and often differ. Its real function is preventing the lower-earning spouse from being starved into a bad settlement.
Rehabilitative support is support with a plan: money paid while the recipient earns a degree, completes training, or re-enters the workforce. It ends on a date or when the plan completes, and the recipient usually must show progress, enrollment records, job applications, to keep it.
This is the most common type for marriages under 15 years where the recipient is employable but needs a runway. Courts like it because it has an exit ramp. If you are the recipient, come with a concrete plan (program, cost, timeline); judges fund plans, not wishes. If you are the payer, the plan's end date is your leverage for a clean termination.
Durational support runs for a fixed period, commonly tied to marriage length. A frequent rule of thumb is support for about half the marriage length for marriages under 10 years, stretching longer for 10-to-20-year marriages. Some states set statutory duration caps by marriage-length band.
Term support gives both sides certainty: the recipient knows the runway, the payer knows the end date. It is modifiable in most states if circumstances change substantially, unless the decree says otherwise. When negotiating, fight as hard over the end date as the monthly amount; a $2,000 award for 3 years and a $1,500 award for 6 years are very different deals.
Permanent support, paid until death or remarriage, was once standard for long marriages. It is now rare and shrinking: Florida abolished it in 2023 reforms, and most states reserve it for long marriages (often 20-plus years) where the recipient cannot become self-supporting due to age or disability.
Even where it survives, permanent rarely means unchangeable. Retirement of the payer, remarriage or cohabitation of the recipient, or major income changes can all support modification or termination. Treat permanent as long-term, not forever.
Lump-sum alimony is a fixed total paid at once or in installments, often used to buy out support or equalize property division. Its virtue is finality: no modification fights later. Its risk is mispricing the future; discount the lump sum for the time value of money and the chance circumstances change.
Reimbursement alimony repays one spouse for contributions to the other's earning power, the classic case being a spouse who worked to put the other through medical school. It is about payback for a specific investment, not ongoing need, and it is usually non-modifiable.
Match the type to the facts. Short marriage, employable recipient: rehabilitative or bridge-the-gap. Medium marriage with an income gap: durational tied to a re-entry plan. Long marriage, recipient cannot self-support: long-term or permanent where still available. Need cash now during the case: temporary.
The type negotiation is where attorneys earn their fees. Amount gets the attention, but type decides duration, modifiability, and what happens at retirement. Model both in the calculator, then discuss type explicitly with counsel.
Support paid while the recipient retrains or re-enters the workforce. It has a plan and an end date, and the recipient typically must show progress toward self-sufficiency to keep it.
In most states yes, but it is rare and reserved mainly for long marriages where self-sufficiency is unrealistic. Florida abolished permanent alimony in 2023. Even where it exists, it can usually be modified for retirement, remarriage, or major income changes.
Support for a fixed term, often tied to marriage length (for example, about half the marriage length for shorter marriages). It gives both sides certainty about the end date.
Temporary and rehabilitative awards end by their terms. Durational awards are often modifiable for substantial changed circumstances unless the decree says otherwise. Lump-sum and reimbursement awards are usually final.
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Data current as of October 2026. Sources: state family code alimony provisions; 2023 Florida alimony reform (SB 1416). Legal information only, not legal advice.