Alimony

On dissolution of a marriage the court may order one former spouse to pay maintenance to the other where the applicant is unable to provide for their own needs, having regard to the duration of the marriage, the age and health of the parties, and the contribution each made to the household.

Maintenance is fixed for a determinate period sufficient to allow the recipient to become self-supporting, save where age or health makes that outcome unlikely, in which case it may be granted without a fixed term.

The obligation ends on the remarriage of the recipient, on the death of either party, or on a court order made following a material change in circumstances.