Many states apply formulas linking duration to a percentage of marriage length, with permanent support reserved for long marriages. Others leave duration to discretion within statutory factors.
Several states have abolished permanent alimony.
Alternative Names:
Support Duration|Length of Alimony
Why it Matters?
Duration formulas tied to marriage length create thresholds where an additional year of marriage materially extends the obligation, which makes the marriage duration calculation consequential in cases near a statutory break point and the separation date a contested fact. Retirement provisions permitting termination or modification at the obligor's retirement age have been enacted in several states and should be addressed in the agreement.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why is marriage duration contested?
What should agreements address?
