The law views spousal relationships as financial partnerships. When the partnership breaks down, the person with more income or assets may have to pay support to the other. At the same time, the law expects adults to look after their own needs to the best of their abilities.

To decide on how much spousal support and the length of time that it should be paid, the law says that judges must consider a number of factors, including how much the person asking for support needs to meet his or her needs, and how much the other person can afford to pay. A person may claim support to help him or her become financially self-sufficient or to keep from ending up in serious financial difficulty.

Advisory Spousal Support Guidelines are available to help parties discuss the appropriate amount of spousal support to be paid. If the parties proceed to court, the court may consider these guidelines in determining how much spousal support should be paid, but they are not binding.

Note: Spousal Support Guidelines are different from Child Support Guidelines, which the court is required to follow.

For more information

Consult with a lawyer

See Using a Lawyer

Spousal Support Guidelines

A draft of the spousal support advisory guidelines proposed by the Federal Department of Justice. The guidelines are intended to bring more certainty and predictability to the determination of spousal support under the federal Divorce Act

More information on the Spousal Support Guidelines

Contains links to various documents related to this project, as well as to related material on the law of spousal support