One spouse may need to pay the other two kinds of support after a California divorce. These include:
Temporary Spousal Support
A temporary support order requires a higher-earning spouse to pay support to a lower-earner while divorce proceedings are pending.
Long-Term Spousal Support
Long-term spousal support orders, also called permanent support orders, are issued at the end of divorce proceedings. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean everyone who is entitled to support will receive it permanently or indefinitely.
When the court orders support after divorce, they’ll usually advise the recipient to make reasonable efforts to become self-supporting within a reasonable period. Under Family Code Section 4320, a reasonable time is usually defined as half the length of the marriage. As a result, this is the guideline for how long the paying spouse will usually need to provide support. Courts can deviate from the guidelines, but this is the presumption.
However, once a marriage has lasted 10 or more years, the court may, at its discretion, determine it is inadvisable to suggest the spouse receiving support become self-supporting. There is no specific guideline for how long support should last after marriages of long duration. The court will maintain jurisdiction over the issue of support indefinitely.