I am proposing to give my wife monthly alimony and a good portion of my year-end bonus. Can I pay her the portion of my year-end bonus in a lump sum and still have it considered alimony?

Thanks
cjohnsen

You can propose any combination that you wish but you need to have this alimony payment set in stone in your final divorce paperwork otherwise it won't count. You should also consider in the future that you may not be employed in order to have a year end bonus to give a portion of to anyone let alone your exwife. I definitely would discuss this with whoever your attorney is handling your divorce paperwork. He may point out to you that it is not a good idea to do it this way. Usually alimony is only for a certain set time such as so many months or so many years. Alimony is not a lifetime income anymore for exwives (in most states that is).

Alimony is normally a set amount of money set by the court based on earnings during the time you were married