Family Law: Spousal Support (Alimony)

Spousal Support (Alimony)

This support is designed to compensate one spouse from disadvantages flowing from the spousal relationship.

The law recognizes that if one party primarily raised the children which caused some detriment of their employment earnings or employment prospects, then it is unlikely to be realistic to expect that party to be able to achieve financial independence at the dissolution of the spousal relationship. Spousal support is designed to bridge the gap during the transition.

In the case of long relationships and if the recipient is near to retirement age, the support may be ordered for an indefinite duration.