Alimony is ordered only if one spouse is financially dependent on the other and the other spouse is able to pay. Alimony is far less common today than it once was when most households had only one wage earner. Two common types of alimony are rehabilitative alimony and permanent alimony. Rehabilitative alimony gives a spouse a chance to get an education or job training to become self-supporting. A judge may award rehabilitative alimony to a spouse who left a job to raise a family, for instance.
Rehabilitative alimony is temporary and typically lasts only a few years.
In contrast, permanent alimony is awarded to someone who cannot become financially independent. Often the recipient is elderly or chronically ill.