How much spousal support must be paid?

Spousal support

If you or your partner are entitled to spousal support, the amount of support and how long it is paid depend on factors like:

how long you and your partner lived together
if you have children together and who has been caring for them
each partner's income
each partner's age
the roles each partner had during the marriage

And, the law expects the partner receiving support to try to support themselves as soon as possible after separation. This is sometimes called the “duty to become self-sufficient”.

Courts use the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAGs) to help them decide how much spousal support should be paid and for how long. These are only guidelines, not laws.

The SSAGs use 2 different formulas. One is for partners who have no children together. The other is for partners who have children together.

You need special software to calculate spousal support using the SSAGs. This free online calculator can give you a rough idea but it only does simple calculations, and it only takes employment income into account.

You and your partner can try to reach an agreement about spousal support. If you can't agree, you can get help from a family law professional or go to court and ask a judge to decide.