Money is where a lot of divorces get scary. One spouse is afraid they’ll be left with nothing after years of running a household. The other is afraid they’ll be paying forever. Florida’s alimony law changed in a big way in 2023, and a lot of what people think they know about it is now out of date.
Let’s clear it up.
Permanent alimony is gone
This is the headline. As of July 1, 2023, Florida no longer awards permanent alimony. If you read an old article or talked to someone who divorced years ago, set that aside. The law today recognizes four types, and all of them are limited in time.
The four types of alimony today
Temporary support keeps things stable while the divorce is still going on.
Bridge-the-gap helps with real, short-term needs as you move from married to single life. It’s capped at 2 years and can’t be changed once it’s set.
Rehabilitative alimony helps a spouse get back on their feet, finishing a degree, renewing a license, building job skills. It requires a specific written plan and is capped at 5 years.
Durational alimony is ongoing support for a set period after the marriage ends. How long it can last depends on how long you were married, and there is now a cap on the amount: generally no more than 35% of the difference between the spouses’ net incomes. Durational alimony is not available at all for marriages under 3 years.
How a judge decides
Before any alimony is awarded, the court asks two threshold questions: does one spouse actually need support, and can the other afford to pay it? If the answer to either is no, that’s the end of it. If both are yes, the judge weighs factors like the length of the marriage, the standard of living, each spouse’s age and health, and what each person contributed, including raising kids and supporting the other’s career.
Marriage length matters a lot here. Florida now sorts marriages into short-term (under 10 years), moderate-term (10 to 20 years), and long-term (20 years or more), and that bracket shapes how long durational alimony can run.
How we help
Alimony is where good lawyering and clear financial proof pay off. Whether you’re asking for support or you’re the one being asked to pay, we build the financial picture the statute calls for and push for a number that’s fair and grounded in your actual circumstances, not a guess.
Want a fuller walk-through first? Read our guide to how alimony works in Florida.