Temporary support: The court can order temporary support based on the short-term needs of one spouse and the other spouse’s ability to pay. A temporary support order may last until the couple’s divorce is finalized or until some specified time in the short-term future. Often, these orders are to assist one spouse in getting back on their feet until debt and property issues are settled.

Permanent or Long-Term Support: Long-term support is ordered to give the recipient spouse the opportunity to become self-sufficient in conjunction with a job or vocational training or continued education until they can maintain a similar standard of living as they enjoyed during the marriage. Long-term support is often associated with long-term marriages and may be open-ended, with the court retaining jurisdiction over the issue, or can have a specified termination date. Factors considered in long-term support include:

  • Length (duration) of marriage
  • Ability to pay
  • Age and health of each party
  • Earning capacity of each party
  • The ability of the support spouse to become self-sufficient
  • Debts and assets of each party
  • Hardship support may cause the payor
  • Tax consequences
  • Any other factor the court may consider important

Family Support: A family support order is an order that combines child and spousal support into one payment. The court makes no distinction between the two payments. The court will not issue a separate child or spousal support order if they grant a family support order. One hundred percent of payments made under a California family support order are potentially deductible by the payee. In addition, payments made under this order are also reportable as taxable income by the recipient.