Separation and Divorce: Spousal Support
What is spousal support for?
The purposes of spousal support are to:
- recognize a spouse's contributions to the relationship
- share the financial costs of caring for a child
- relieve financial hardship
- help a spouse become able to contribute to his or her own support
- correct any economic advantage or disadvantage to a spouse caused by the relationship or the relationship breakdown. For example, if a spouse gave up their job to care for the children, they may not be able to become self-supporting right away.
In most situations, spouses are expected to try to become self-supporting as soon as possible.