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Who can get spousal support?

A partner might have the legal right to support if they were:

  • married,
  • a common-law partner for at least 3 years, or
  • in a relationship for some time and had a child together.

Spousal support is not an automatic right. A partner may have the right to support because:

  • they did unpaid work during the relationship
  • they need financial support after the relationship ends and the other partner can afford to pay
  • there is an agreement for one partner to pay

Even if a partner has the right to support, the law still expects them to try to support themselves as soon as possible after they separate. This is called the “duty to become self-sufficient”.

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