Key legal question
Whether an increase of alimony advances following a civil judgment may be granted retroactively beyond six months before the new request.
Extracted holding
No. The statutory six-month limit for retroactive advances is strict and also applies to later adjustments, including adjustments to a civil judgment.
Extracted reasoning
Alimony advances protect only the child's current maintenance needs, not the full amount fixed in the underlying title. Section 5(1) excludes retroactive advances as a rule; section 5(2) creates only a narrow exception for arrears no more than six months old. A later improvement of an already granted advance cannot extend retroactivity beyond that limit.