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Can alimony cover schooling or career training?

by | Dec 26, 2017 | Blog, Firm News |

If you are working your way through a Florida divorce, you are probably facing many uncertainties. Divorce can affect virtually every area of your life, from where you live and work to how often you see your children, and navigating the transitions that arise from a familial separation is rarely easy.

If you took time off work to support your spouse while he or she finished school or worked a profitable job, this may make your situation even more complicated. Rejoining the workforce after considerable time out of it can prove difficult, particularly if you once worked in an industry or field where much has changed since you held employment. You may be wondering just how to make the jump back into the working world and whether you may be able to receive any help or support in your quest to do so.

Alimony considerations

Depending on the specifics of your situation and marriage, you may be able to secure alimony from your breadwinning spouse to help you continue to conduct your life in the manner in which you have grown accustomed. In many cases, your spouse may have to pay you alimony if your earning potential suffered while you supported your partner or raised your shared children during the marriage.

You can use alimony payments for any number of expenses, and this includes education or career-training related expenditures. For example, if you worked in, say, medical transcription prior to your marriage, and you then abandoned your career for 15 years for the betterment of your family, you may no longer hold the medical transcription skills today’s employers value. You may need to rely on alimony to finance a return to school or advanced training that will make you more of an asset in the medical transcription field.

Ultimately, determinations about alimony payments and how long you can receive them are made on a case-by-case basis. Your former career, how much your spouse earns and how much time you had outside the workforce may all serve as determining factors in such decisions.