ALIMONY

Alimony in Tennessee is the support of one spouse by the other, and can be both during the divorce proceeding (temporary alimony or alimony pendente lite) and after the divorce has been finalized. The issue of alimony is often a contentious one and requires an understanding of Tennessee law and precedent to begin to diagnose. Unlike the calculation of child support in Tennessee, there is no set "formula" to determine how much (if any) alimony one spouse should pay to the other. Instead, there are numerous statutory factors for the Court to consider and the relevance and/or importance of each factor is within the discretion of the Court and varies from case to case. 

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There are four categories of alimony in Tennessee: rehabilitative alimony; alimony in futuro (also known as periodic alimony); transitional alimony; or alimony in solido (also known as lump sum alimony); the Court may also award a combination of these. See T.C.A. § 36-5-121.

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If you believe alimony is an issue in your divorce proceeding, it is important to speak with a local family law attorney about the specific facts of your situation to determine the potential range of alimony that could be at issue in your case.

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For more information on alimony law in Tennessee, visit our Discussion and FAQs page.