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Am I entitled to spousal maintenance?

By , on Wednesday November 2, 2022 at 11:29 am

Am I entitled to spousal maintenance

When a couple separates, whether one party is entitled to claim spousal maintenance from the other is a common concern. There are several factors that need to be considered:

  • Length of marriage
  • Whether each party is working
  • The ages of the parties
  • Who is looking after any children of the marriage
  • Can both parties manage financially without spousal maintenance?

It’s important to understand that spousal maintenance is just that, financial support from one spouse to another paid on the breakdown of a marriage. It does not apply to unmarried couples and is different to child maintenance. It is also sometimes called ‘spousal support’.

The conditions under which spousal maintenance might be paid vary, as every marriage varies. One common scenario is where a couple has been together for a long time, and one party has given up work to run the home whilst the other has developed a career and been the family breadwinner. There are arguments to say that the homemaker is entitled to financial support, in the form of spousal maintenance, if the marriage breaks down and on the basis that the spouse in need cannot support themselves financially from the income they have coming in from other sources.

Who is entitled to spousal maintenance?

To establish whether you are likely to be entitled to spousal maintenance, you should ask yourself the following questions:

  • What are your financial needs and income potential? Can these needs be met without the support of your ex?
  • Have you been married for a long time and given up work to support your spouse or family by becoming a home maker?
  • Are you of an age where establishing a career, to deliver the kind of lifestyle you have been used to, would be difficult?
  • Would you be financially better off having a financial clean breakand lump sum from your ex, rather than ongoing maintenance which could be at risk if they lose their job or pre-decease you for eg?
  • Are you prepared to take your case to court, if your ex will not agree to spousal maintenance?
  • Are you planning to re-marry? (If you do, you will lose your right to spousal maintenance)

As is often the case with family law, every case is different. It is, therefore, important to take advice from a divorce and family lawyer on your entitlement to spousal support. They will be able to consider your circumstances and advise on the likely success of your case.

How do you apply for spousal maintenance?

Many couples reach an informal agreement about spousal maintenance through negotiation or mediation. This can allow the matter to be resolved quickly and with minimal conflict while keeping the legal costs to a minimum.

If your ex is not willing to reach an agreement about spousal maintenance, you will need to ask the courts to consider your case, and they will decide whether you are entitled to spousal maintenance. If they think so, they will make a court order for spousal maintenance to be paid by your ex.

How is spousal maintenance paid?

There are three main options for how spousal support is paid:

  • Capitalised spousal maintenance – Where the receiving spouse gets a bigger share of capital assets e.g., a house or savings, whilst the breadwinner, who has more potential to generate income and wealth on an ongoing basis, takes a smaller share.
  • Ongoing spousal maintenance – Where maintenance is paid in monthly instalments as income to cover the living costs of the spouse receiving it.
  • A combination of the two – Where the receiving spouse gets a bigger share of capital assets and ongoing maintenance payments to help cover their needs.

Which option will make sense for your circumstances will entirely depend on the situation, so you should get expert legal advice before discussing this with your spouse.

How is spousal maintenance calculated?

There is no standard formula for working out spousal maintenance in England and Wales – it will be decided on a case by case basis.

If a court is asked to decide what level of spousal support should be paid, it will look at factors, including each spouse’s financial resources and the reasonable needs of the spouse seeking support.

If you are seeking to agree spousal maintenance voluntarily as part of a divorce settlement, then the same general principle should be applied to help you reach a fair agreement.

How long will spousal maintenance last?

Spousal maintenance in England and Wales may last indefinitely or for a fixed period of time, depending on the circumstances.

Where a couple has been together for a long time, it is more likely that a court would grant ongoing spousal maintenance for life, whereas for short marriages, fixed term spousal maintenance may be more likely. For voluntarily agreed spousal maintenance, it can last as long as you can agree on, but it is worth keeping in mind what a court would be likely to award to help ensure a fair agreement.

Reminder: If the person receiving spousal maintenance remarries, then their entitlement to the maintenance would end.

Do you have to pay spousal maintenance during separation?

You don’t have to support each other financially during a separation (although you are legally required to keep meeting the needs of any children). If you or your spouse need financial support during separation, you may be able to agree interim financial support while working out the details of your financial settlement.

When is spousal maintenance denied?

Spousal maintenance would not be granted if a court felt the spouse applying for support did not need help with their reasonable costs or if the other spouse did not have the means to provide financial assistance to their ex-spouse.

What is the spousal maintenance one third rule?

The ‘one third rule’ is a now outdated approach to deciding spousal support in England and Wales. It worked on the principle that both partners’ incomes would be added together, with the lower earning spouse being awarded one third of the combined total, minus their own income.

Nowadays, spousal support in England and Wales is worked out according to the ex-spouses’ means and reasonable needs, as discussed above.

Talk to Woolley & Co, Solicitors about spousal maintenance

At Woolley & Co, Solicitors our expert divorce lawyers can ensure you get the best possible deal when it comes to spousal maintenance and the other aspects of dividing your finances. We tailor our approach to your situation, so can help you reach an agreement with your spouse amicably or take a tougher stance where appropriate.

To take advantage of a free 30-minute consultation with an expert local family law solicitor, call 0800 321 3832 or complete our quick online form.

Sue Harwood
Family Law Solicitor, Cornwall

COMMENTS AND RESPONSE – WHO IS ENTITLED TO SPOUSAL MAINTENANCE
I am a retired Police officer, having retired after 25yrs service and I subsequently receive a I’ll health pension, along with a personal injury award…After 35yrs of marriage I divorced and attended a final financial hearing and a deputy District Judge awarded my ex 40% of my I’ll health pension and I was also ordered to sign over the matrimonial home which was mortgage free without receiving any of the substantial asset ..I was also ordered to pay 50% of my injury award in spousal maintenance, and consequently while my ex wife is now living mortgage and rent free while still retaining an ability to work I am having to apply for an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) The spousal maintenance payment was a life term payment and I feel the order was extremely harsh and unfair, and a pension share would have been sufficient…I feel that fairness does not seem to have been an element in my case…..note I served as a Police constable …

By Paul P on Thursday February 1, 2018

Dear Paul

Thank you for your recent comment on my blog post from last year, I am sorry to hear you were unsatisfied at the outcome of your proceedings.  I am not sure when you got your Court Order there is a right of appeal if brought within 21 days of the date of the Order.  However, by way of advice, you cannot appeal just because you feel the judgement was unfair, you have to show there was wrongdoing or that the Order was unjust because of a serious procedural or other irregularity in the proceedings.  If you feel you have grounds for appeal and are within the time limit, then please contact me direct and we can arrange a time to discuss your options on a free of charge basis, I cannot comment further without knowing the facts of your case.

By Sue Harwood on Friday February 2, 2018

I have been married 3 years ago, moved to the US as he is a us citizen living in the us… i gave up my job in the U.K, I have not worked for 4 year as i have being raising the kids . we have 2 children I have been a home maker while he is working and gaining experience and qualification. I was wondering what are my options. He is treating to take my kids from me as I will like to go back to the .uk with them. Please any advice

By Helen on Monday March 26, 2018

Thanks for your comment Helen, you could potentially have a claim for spousal maintenance here yes but only if you can first establish jurisdiction here in the English Court, that said, enforcing an English maintenance order against him in the US if he decides to stay there might be a lengthy and costly exercise, so you should first weigh up your options in the US and take advice there too.  You will of course need his permission to remove the children from the US or a court order if he does not agree.  I will email you separately so I can establish a bit more information from you.

By Sue Harwood on Tuesday March 27, 2018

My husband of 12 years(together for 14) has decided he no longer loves me and our marriage can not be saved. We have 2 young children. Before I met him I owned my own home with a small mortgage(this would have been paid off in 8years). We bought a home together 4 years after we married and all of the equity from my previous home went into the deposit of our new/current home. I believe that my husband(who earns substantially more than me) will be entitled to 40% of any equity we have from the sale of our new home? Is that correct? That would mean I would not even be able to afford a similar house in the same area as I lived in before I met him as I only work part time and have done since our eldest was born 10 years ago. Our 2 children will live with me, would I have any claim to spousal maintenance. I can’t see the wood for the trees at the moment, on top of the emotional stress I am in a panic over how I will provide for our children. Any general advice would be really appreciated, thank you.

By Tracy M on Wednesday April 4, 2018

Hi Tracy, thanks for your post on the blog.  How the equity in the property will be divided will depend on your respective housing needs and the other financial resources you each may have, including your respective mortgage capacities.

Whether or not you will be able to claim spousal maintenance will depend on whether you can demonstrate a financial need and your husband has the ability to pay, taking into account his own reasonable needs.  I would obviously need a lot more information before I could advise you, so I will email you separately and we can arrange to speak on the phone and I can give you some advice about your options.

By Sue Harwood on Thursday April 5, 2018

I too am in a similar situation to Tracy, I have been married for 12 years and together for 14 years. Husband has been meeting/messaging a woman at work and after I found messages containing declarations of love to each other, my husband admitted that he has not loved me for years and would like to separate but stresses it is not about the “other woman”.

Husband earns considerably more than I do and I would not afford our mortgage without him, I have only been working for the past 2 years part time as we agreed I would raise our children who are 9 and 11 whilst he built up career. I have looked into how much I could borrow (mortgage) but it is no where near enough to stay in the area for work and School so when our marital home is sold I would need almost all of the equity held in our home, we currently have approx 40% equity. Would I be entitled to this and or spousal maintenance payments? Both children live with me and I am very worried about how I will provide for them and affordability of a new home.

My husband also has credit card and loan debts from a very expensive cycling hobby which he has said will only increase now as he needs to furnish a rented accommodation and impress the “other woman” but as we have not separated our bank yet I am assisting with monthly payments – I feel like my emotions and mental stability are all over the place especially as my husband is yet to secure his rented accommodation so is sleeping on the sofa when he is not staying at the “other woman’s” house.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you so much

By Sarah Pritchard on Tuesday April 17, 2018

Dear Sarah, thanks for your blog post.  The first consideration for the court would be the welfare of children of the family who have not attained the age of 18.  So your financial needs as their parent will have to be given careful consideration and if you needed all of the equity to provide the children with a home that is within the powers available to the court, depending on the other factors of the case.  If you cannot afford a mortgage without spousal maintenance from him, then again it is possible to seek an order from the court, but what will you will be entitled to will depend on all the other circumstances of the case.    I will email you separately to obtain further information from you so I can advise you more fully.

By Sue Harwood on Wednesday April 18, 2018

Hello, my ex husband is threatening me with a spousal maintenance claim if I were to opt for a pension sharing order. I worked part-time for almost ten years to bring up our two children so was not able to save up as much for a pension. As of this year I am earning £20k more than my ex-husband and decided to work full-time in order to keep the house and pay him out as much as I was able to afford. He bought a new house, used a lump sum that I took out as a loan (half of his stamp duty and furniture compensation) to deck out his new house and is now unhappy that I would ask for a fair compensation of his pension. I thought a spousal maintenance order would only be granted if one person could not financially survive without it. Just not as comfortable. He can certainly survive and has a good job, but clearly is convinced he would be able to claim spousal support due to our 30% difference in salary. Myself, I have circa £500 as disposable income to entertain the children and to save for holidays. Would he have a chance?

By Susan Smith on Tuesday May 8, 2018

Dear Susan

Thanks for your post on my blog.  A court when considering any spousal maintenance award will look at, amongst other things, the affordability of the paying party, your reasonable needs will be taken into account and saving for a holiday for the children and entertaining them would in most cases be reasonable of course.  The court would also look at his income and earning capacity to ensure he is maximising that as much as he can and will look at his own reasonable needs to see if he is able to meet those without suffering undue hardship, it sounds like he can without too much difficulty and it sounds like he might be simply hitting back at the suggestion you would want to make a claim on his pension,  what you will be awarded by way of a pension sharing order will depend on the length of your relationship and the extent of your own pension assets as well as all the other circumstances of the case.  I would need to take a lot more information from you before I could give you further advice but I am happy to do so, I will therefore send you an email.

By Sue Harwood on Wednesday May 9, 2018

How does this work if your husband lives abroad … in the Middle East? Feeling stuck and not sure which way to go.

By Jane on Sunday May 27, 2018

My ex partner is wanting a divorce but i am worried about the children and my home. I really need some advice, worried sick

By Sharon Moorhouse on Monday May 28, 2018

Dear Sharon,  thanks for your post on my blog, I understand you have also requested a call back through my head office, so I will be in touch with you direct.

By Sue Harwood on Tuesday May 29, 2018

Dear Jane

Thanks for your post on my blog.  Enforcing maintenance agreements where the payor is living abroad is of course difficult, especially in a country where there is no reciprocal enforcement arrangement, but it is not impossible to benefit as there may be assets from which maintenance can be capitalised for eg, I would of course need a lot more information from you before I could advice you so I will email you separately to see if you would like to provide me with some further information.

By Sue Harwood on Tuesday May 29, 2018

Hello – I’ve got my decree nisi and my ex and I are now working out the consent order.  We’re just about agreed but I still feel a bit aggrieved that having had a good career, having then met him and become an older mother (I was 49 when I had my last child, now aged 7), he left and has expected me to bear the brunt of the costs for the kids and wants a share of the house (the equity in the house is capital I put in, and I paid more towards the mortgage until taking voluntary redundancy in 2010 and then finding I was pregnant….  He then got together with a woman who encouraged him to go to a solicitor (before that he had said he wasn’t going to) and it all turned quite nasty.  We are getting on better now, which is good for the kids, but I could do with someone just telling me whether or not the agreement we’ve reached is a reasonable one.  I can’t afford a huge amount in solicitor’s fees as I only earned £13,000 last year.  I guess I’m rather sore that my career has gone backwards due to having his kids and moving up north as he was unhappy down south, and also that he doesn’t seem to recognise that getting a similar job up here when I’m heading towards 60 (I’m 57) and have 3 kids isn’t as easy as it might have been down south.  On the other hand perhaps legally we have reached a perfectly reasonable settlement which the Courts will agree to.  But, as I said, I think I could just do with someone confirming that to me.  Please could you let me know how much a quick scan of the consent order might cost, if I could also provide some financial info.?

By Sarah Lewis-Briggs on Wednesday June 6, 2018

Sarah

Thanks for your blog post and also your direct email enquiry, I will ring you so I can take more detail and then I can give you a fixed fee quote for advising you with regards to the proposed agreement.

By Susan Harwood on Wednesday June 6, 2018

Hey, i have been married to my wife for about 4 years, it will be 5 years in November this year. She moved out of the house about a year and 2 months ago. I am looking to start divorce proceedings against her, and i have put in an application to the child maintenance agency to determine how much i would have to pay for our son.

I would like to know if i would have to pay any spousal maintenance payments. We don’t have an assets or property together, and has been working full time every since she moved out the house. She is 31 and hasn’t got any health restrictions to stop her working. I am not sure how much she earns but she rents a property and appears to be living ok( she travels a lot).

Will she be entitled to any spousal maintenance payments or lump sum?

By Daniel Johnson on Saturday June 30, 2018

Hi Daniel

A spousal maintenance award is properly made where the evidence shows that choices made during the marriage have generated hard future needs on the part of the claimant.  Duration of the marriage and presence of children are pivotal factors.  An award is only made by reference to “need”.  In every case the court must consider a termination of spousal maintenance with a transition to independence as soon as it is just and reasonable.  It therefore sounds to me from what you have said that she has already transitioned to financial independence and therefore spousal maintenance may not be relevant in your case.  Obviously I would need much more information to advise you fully and if you would like me to provide that advice then let us know.

By Sue on Monday July 2, 2018

Good afternoon

Sorry for question. My ex husband is British citizen. Working in Bosnia since 1999. We have been together 13 years. As he wanted divorce he also left me without any financial support for last 7 months very difficult for me. He’s not paying bills either. I was working till 2013. His income is extremely good even never knew exactly. He also has military pension and funds n UK. I can’t afford solicitor. Living in Bosnia, and I’m Bosnian.

Any advice please

Thank you very much for reading

Sabina Meekings

By Sabina Meekings on Friday July 6, 2018

Dear Sabina, I am sorry to hear of your situation.  It sounds to me like you certainly need financial support from him and given the length of marriage he may indeed be obligated to support you but it will depend on many other factors, such as the presence of children and your capacity to work and other assets of the marriage.  It sounds like you need a solicitor to write to him to find out why he has stopped supporting you and try and get this re-established.  I can do that on a small fixed fee if that helps.  Please email me direct on susan.harwood@family-lawfirm.co.uk if you would like to explore that.

By Susan Harwood on Monday July 16, 2018

Hi

I was wondering if I could be entitled to spousal maintenance? My husband has decided to divorce me after three years of marriage due to changing his preferences in sexuality and due to my religious beliefs I cannot remarry or enter into another relationship (I am late 20’s) I have a full time job but was left with some debts to pay from him. He is earning more than me.

Thanks

By Emily Fairly on Friday July 20, 2018

Dear Emily

Thanks for commenting on my blog post.  In deciding whether to make a spousal maintenance order, the court will have regard to all the circumstances of the case, in particular S25 (2) of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, to achieve the objective of a fair result.  Your needs and the income of your husband will dominate the determination.  The duration of the marriage is an important factor in your case, you say you have only been married for 3 years so you would have to demonstrate that as a result of decisions made in the marriage, you have a continued financial need to be supported by your husband.  You say your are working full time, it is only if you can show that you are not financially independent of him that you would likely succeed in claiming maintenance.  The debts of the marriage are a different issue, if there are no assets of the marriage to be negotiated against which the debts could be factored in then you might want to think about issuing a small claims application if you believe there was an agreement the debts were to be shared.  If you wish for me to provide you with further advice I can do so on a fixed fee, please email me at: susan.harwood@family-lawfirm.co.uk

By Susan Harwood on Monday July 23, 2018

Hi, I have separated from my husband who I have been married to for 13 years. He had an affair in our first year of marriage but I was pregnant so we gave it another go. I caught him contacting another women a while back and kicked him out. I have an 11 year old daughter and we have a mortgage in both our names. I have been a housewife for 13 years as he worked long hours so I was the only one able to see to our daughter when she was home. I am now 50 and we still have 19 years on mortgage. We bought the house to leave to my daughter as we don’t have any family. What are the rules about the house as i could not afford to pay it and i am still looking for work. Also spousal and child maintenance information would be greatly appreciated as I have no idea if he has to support me until a certain time or how it works. I am getting a little benefit at the moment as I am not working and still looking. Your help would be much appreciated.

By Michelle on Wednesday August 1, 2018

Hi Michelle

Thanks for your comment on my blog post, I am sorry to hear of the situation you are in.  As you and your husband have separated and your daughter is living most of her time with you, then your husband will have a liability to pay child maintenance, this will be based on a percentage of his gross income, you can check it here Https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-child-maintenance.  If he is making contributions towards the mortgage this can be considered payments in lieu of child maintenance, it will depend what his child maintenance liability is and what the mortgage payments are in comparison.

With regards to spousal maintenance, it certainly sounds like you may have need for it, but whether he has an obligation to pay it will depend on his income and his own reasonable outgoings.  If you wanted to keep the house and continue to live there you would need to show you could afford to pay the mortgage and bills etc, even if that means with the help of spousal maintenance from your husband.  I hope that has answered your initial queries but I will email you separately and we can arrange mutually convenient time for a free of charge initial chat.

By Susan Harwood on Wednesday August 1, 2018

Hello there. I am wondering if I am entitled to spousal maintenance due to the breakdown of the marriage after three years, I was bringing up our child and although I will start part time work in September, I will still be reliant on benefits to support us. He does pay child maintenance every month. My solicitor advised me to do to mediation after he made what was deemed an unsatisfactory offer but the mediator asked me today why I think I am entitled to spousal maintenance. His earning capacity is extremely high whereas being a mother of a young child mine isn’t. I just feel I’ve been given mixed messages and I’m confused as to whether I am entitled to spousal maintenance. Thank you for any clarification.

By Amy James on Wednesday August 15, 2018

Dear Amy, thanks for your post on my blog.  Whether or not you will be able to claim spousal maintenance will depend on whether you can demonstrate a financial “need” , ie can you meet your every day outgoings from you income, benefits and children maintenance alone? if not then you may have a claim for spousal maintenance but that is dependent on your husband’s disposable income taking into account his own reasonable outgoings.  So there isn’t a yes or no answer I can give you I’m afraid, every case is different turning on its on facts.  I would obviously need a lot more information before I could advise you, so do please email me on susan.harwood@family-lawfirm.co.uk and let me know when it will be convenient for me to call you.

By Sue Harwood on Thursday August 16, 2018

My husband recently left me after cheating on me, we were together 22 years, married 16 years, we have 2 children aged 6&7 who are in my full time care, i gave up my career to look after the kids and the home, im almost 43 now and earning potential coupled with the fact im full time carer of our children means finding work is going to be harder. He earns over £7000 a month

By Hannah hails on Sunday September 2, 2018

Dear Hannah

Thanks for you post on my blog, I see you have also emailed me direct so I will respond to your email and then we can arrange a time to talk about what I can do for you.

By Sue Harwood on Monday September 3, 2018

Hi Sarah,

I am willing to divorce my wife I’ve been married to for 21 years because I don’t love her anymore, there is no communication between us, our relationship is too formal. We got married in the UK, the religious ceremony was in Germany and I signed a prenup in Germany because her parents insisted. We never lived in UK while married, 21 years worked and lived in Germany. I moved back to London 3 years ago to work but she used to come over once a month, her address and work is in Germany. She never worked while we were married, I paid for everything, children education, school and now university, children are now 22 and 21. In which country I need to divorce? Will I have to pay spousal maintenance? She went back to work 2 years ago but part time only.

By John on Tuesday September 11, 2018

Dear John

Thanks for your email, where you should issue your divorce proceedings requires careful consideration because the consequences of issuing in one country over another could have stark differences in terms of a financial obligation to pay maintenance.  You should first of all take advice in Germany to understand what your obligations may be if you issued there as they are likely to be very different to that in England.  I can tell you that as this is a long marriage spousal maintenance is more likely to be a relevant factor if your wife cannot meet her reasonable outgoings from her own income alone.  It will of course depend entirely on what you are earning yourself.  Please email me direct on susan.harwood@family-lawfirm.co.uk and let me know when it would be a good time for me to call you and we can have a further discussion so I can obtain essential information from you before being able to advise you further.

By Sue Harwood on Tuesday September 11, 2018

My husband and I have decided to separate in two years once our children are older. I gave up my career in the Police to look after our children and am just getting back into full-time employment. The jobs I am looking at are relatively low-pay at around 25K. Had I stayed in the Police I would have been on 42k and a good pension. My husband has his own business and earns between 120 and 150k per year.

He is saying that we split our assets in half which is fair enough. However, I am hoping I would be entitled to some kind of spousal maintenance as even if I do not have children living with me at this time, I will find it hard to survive on this income. His pension is slightly higher than mine, mine will be worth 9k and his 12k although he is pumping money into this at the moment. I said I wouldn’t touch his pension. We have been together for over 30 years and have been married for over 20. We have two kids aged 16 and 14.

By Helen Seymour on Friday September 14, 2018

Hi Helen, thanks for your post on my blog, I also see that you have contacted my head office for a call back, so I will call you on Monday and we can discuss further then.

By Sue Harwood on Sunday September 16, 2018

I’m currently going through a divorce with my ex wife.

We are having to go through court due to her constant refusal to sort anything. She refused mediation and didn’t respond to solicitors.

We have exchanged form E she is requesting spousal maintenance despite earning more than me.

She is also requesting more Child maintenance even though we have gone through CMS.

Her bank statement shows she is banking nearly double what she is declaring on her income paperwork.

Will she have a claim for spousal or more child maintenance?

By Jack Moore on Monday October 1, 2018

Dear Jack

You say she is claiming maintenance, I expect what you mean is that she has ticked that box on the application form, be advised it is usual for all the boxes to be ticked, it does not necessarily mean that she will be pursuing all of those claims.

I am sure you will understand that I cannot answer your question without knowing the facts and figures, but in principle she will only have a real justifiable claim for spousal maintenance if she can demonstrate a need, ie that she cannot pay her reasonable outgoings from her income from all sources (salary, child maintenance, any benefits) and only then if you have a disposable income from which to pay it.  If you are paying child maintenance in line with the guidelines then I cannot see that she can claim more unless you are a high earner (more than £3k per week) or she is seeking a contribution towards any school fees for eg.  If you would like a consultation where I can advise you further please email me direct.

By Susan Harwood on Monday October 1, 2018

Hello.

My husband had an affair in 2010 for 8 months. When I found out he ended it and we stayed together and tried to make it work. We moved away from family and friends as the woman he had the affair with lived in our town. After a few years I decided I couldn’t forgive him and we separated amicably in 2014. He has our three children half of the time and pays the mortgage on the house I live in £650 per month in lieu of maintenance. He has a 60% share in the house. We are getting divorced now and while looking into my entitlements I came across spousal maintenance which I have not claimed from him although I would like to do so now. I earn approx. £10,000 pa and get tax credits and he earns £108,000 pa. Am I entitled to spousal maintenance now? Or have I set a precedent by managing without for four years. I live very sparsely!

By Catherine Povey on Thursday October 4, 2018

Dear Catherine

The fact that you have been managing for the last 4 years might have an impact yes, but your ability to claim spousal maintenance is not yet lost.  Whether you will be awarded maintenance will depend on many different factors such as your reasonable needs, the length of the marriage, the age of the children, and the standard of living enjoyed when you were together.  The fact that there is such a huge disparity in your respective incomes may mean you would be successful, especially as technically you may not be getting much child maintenance from him if he the children for half of the time,  if you would like me to advise you further please email me at susan.harwood@family-lawfirm.co.uk and we can arrange a time to speak.

By Sue Harwood on Thursday October 4, 2018

Hi, my fiancée was married for 20 years and all 3 children are over 21. She divorced me as she said she just didn’t love me.  Now I have a new life with a lady who owns her own home and we have a great life, ex wants to claim spousal maintenance. She got half our house and will get half my pension. She is 49 so can easily work. She never worked whilst bringing up children.  The decree absolute is on hold until this is sorted and her solicitor has asked for all of mine and fiancée bank details.  Will I have to pay her anything ?

By Mary duffy on Sunday October 14, 2018

Hi there

I am currently going through a divorce that I have requested. I held off applying until after 2 years separation so that it could be a blame free process. I left the family home nearly 3 years ago and for just under 2 years of that time I have voluntarily paid my partners rent in full (£1500/month). I have also voluntarily taken on our joint debts of £25k as my own. She has now left the family home and has been cohabiting with her new partner for the past year.

Now that divorce proceedings have begun, she has informed me that she will be applying for spousal maintenance as she earns significantly less than me (£15k to my £60k although at time of separation I was earning £45K). This has obviously come as a shock as I tried my best to lessen the impact for her which meant me being unable to have anything more than a bedsit for the first 18 months of separation. Will the support that I have given since our separation be factored into any hearing for spousal maintenance please?

Many thanks!

By Mark Currie on Monday October 15, 2018

Dear Mary, I am a little confused by your post, are you writing on behalf of yourself or someone else?  As you start by talking about your fiancé then go into talking about yourself in the first person.  I am therefore assuming your are writing on behalf of your fiancé and it is he who is going through the divorce.  Whether or not he will have to pay his wife anything will first of all depend on whether he has been paying her anything to date since the separation, as that would have set a precedent.  If he has not been paying her anything and she is now saying she needs maintenance, then that might be a little harder for her to demonstrate if she has been managing without it until now, and yes her ability to work full time if she has the capacity to do so will be taken into account.  Ultimately it boils down to needs, she will need to demonstrate a real and reasonable need for maintenance and he will have to disclose his income and income needs, taking into account he is cohabiting with you and therefore the costs of your household bills will be shared to some extent.  Please feel free to email me on susan.harwood@family-lawfirm.co.uk if you wish to arrange a telephone appointment.

By susan.harwood@family-lawfirm.co.uk on Monday October 22, 2018

Dear Mark, thank you for your post on my blog, it is clear there needs to be disclosure of her income and income needs because if she is living with her partner it needs to be understood how they are sharing the household expenses, it may be that she cannot show she has any real need for on-going support from you. From what I understand you have not been paying her anything for the last year, so I would hope that no further maintenance will be due from you as her outgoings will be shared with her partner and therefore her need for support will be less.  I am not sure what you mean when you ask if the maintenance you have paid will be taken into account, if you mean in terms of how much you have already paid her, then yes but this will be seen as income not capital, ie it was a money she required to meet an outgoing expense, not a sum of money you have paid to her in settlement of capital issues.  Clearly I cannot advise you fully without knowing all the facts so if you wish to contact me to arrange a telephone appointment please do.

By Susan Harwood on Monday October 22, 2018

Hi

My wife and I are currently looking to separate after nearly 30 years of marriage. There has been no infidelity simply falling out of love.

We have no dependant children and currently we plan to split our finances 50/50 when we sell our house.

I have two questions:

1. If we split up but don’t divorce or have a legal separation in place and I put my 50% of the money into a new single mortgage will she be entitled to any share when we formalise our divorce/separation.

2. Early in our marriage my wife developed a number of health conditions that prevented her from working so I have always paid all the Bill’s and supported her as she has not been eligible for benefits. Would I have to pay any ongoing maintenance? When we split I am assuming she will be eligible to claim benefits.

Many thanks

By Philip Power on Saturday October 27, 2018

Dear Philip

Thanks for your questions, you and your wife will continue to be able to make financial claims against the other until those claims are dismissed by way of a clean break which can only be achieved as part of a divorce.  If you wife has little or no means to earn her own income due to ill health, and she has a shortfall from any benefits she can claim and her reasonable needs, then yes you may well have an on-going duty to support her through spousal maintenance, especially after a long marriage such as yours.  If you need to discuss in more detail please contact me to arrange a telephone appointment.

By Susan Harwood on Monday October 29, 2018

hi I have been married for 34 years it has not been a happy marriage for a long time I worked part time when our children were small and full time for 9 years I have fibromalgia and took redundancy 4 years ago … to help financially I took a zero contact job as I find I cant work every day it is not a well paid job but I found it helped as my money was running out. My husband has now left and he is paying the mortgage my worry is if I don’t work I don’t get any wages im on about 700 a month if I have a lot of contacts my husband last year earned 54, 000although he will not work overtime now which he has always done so his basic will be around 42,000 a year.  will I be entitled to some sort of maintenance all our children are grown.

By Debbie Owen on Wednesday November 7, 2018

Hi Debbie, thanks for post on my blog, I am sorry to hear of your personal circumstances, your case certainly does sound like the kind of situation where spousal maintenance could be a factor yes, due to the long marriage, your specific health needs and your inability to work full time – it will depend on other issues too, such as the amount of money you can claim by way of benefits to supplement your income due to your health, the amount of time you have been separated (if applicable) and the outgoings your husband may have in meeting his own reasonable needs.  If you would like to discuss further please contact me and we can arrange t time to chat so I can take more details from you.

By Sue Harwood on Wednesday November 7, 2018

I would be interested on your opinion . My wife of 15 yrs ( 2 children 11 and 14 ) split amicably last year. We wrote our own separation agreement ( rubber stamped by solicitors) and agreed costs which would be reviewed in a year ie Dec 18 . I moved out into a rental house we own and wife stayed in the 5/6 bed marital home. As the year has progressed I have saved towards another house currently living in a 1 bed flat to be closer to our daugthers and increased payments on the loan I took on a newish car which was needed. I have taken our girls away on 2 expensive holidays. I run my own company and my wife still works one day but the agreed 8hrs is more like 5-6hrs when it fits with her social life, as well as 3 days in a school. The 1 day free she says she requires off apparently. During her year she has spent the savings we split on several holidays ( without the children) including sailing weekends away most months. She took the girls for a caravan w/e away in the summer and says she cant afford a holiday with them. However, Christmas and New Year is leaving them with me to go to Australia for 3 weeks. Since she also has a distance relationship with someone in Ireland she flies there and still carries on she does not have enough funds. She has now said after taking advice she wants to review the agreement pulling in the value of my new car and no doubt the money I have saved since we have split. This is also fuelled by my pension and request for a spousal’s income. My question whilst I appreciate some of the finances needed to be reviewed it seems unfair after we agreed a split of assets in the agreement she now wants to pull things I have accrued whilst she has spent hers. As a point of interest in my favour she part owns a plot of land which at the time I agreed to have 13% of her half should planning ever be granted… Now I feel I should be entitled to 50% is the goal posts have moved? Thanks in anticipation

By TIM BRIGSTOCKE on Thursday November 15, 2018

I am divorced from my ex . We have joint custody / shared care for our daughter but she is claiming child maintenance from me through CSA. I called t ask them to stop.

They told me that they couldn’t stop unless she call them to do so. I am thinking of suing her for child support since we have equal shared custody (50/50). She is working full time

Any advice please

By AYO BAMGBOYE on Thursday November 15, 2018

Dear Tim, thanks for your post on my blog.  The separation agreement is not binding on the matrimonial courts, so if circumstances have changed and that warrants a change in your agreement, then I expect that is what you will to negotiate, your case does not sound straightforward so you might benefit from specific advise, which I can help you with, I will email you separately about that.

By Sue Harwood on Thursday November 15, 2018

Dear Ayo

Thanks for your post on my blog, I don’t accept that the child maintenance service cannot review your case, if you have trouble getting them to do so you should contact NACSA https://nacsa.co.uk

By Sue Harwood on Thursday November 15, 2018

Hi

my wife and I have been married 5 years, she has 4 children, 3 ,

who live with us, none of the children are mine. she was on benefits before our marriage

since I have been with her, I have given her money from my limited company to finance her and her studies. she nows has a master degree

I have just bought a house, and we have been in it for 2 months, but now we are getting a divorce.

Am I liable for spousal maintenance ? and is it likely a court will give her the house after the divorce ?, considering

its in my name only and I paid for it, also due to the fact she has a terrible credit rating. also unlikely any bank would let her take over the mortgage, due to her credit rating

and the fact that she cannot afford the house.

By christopher wray on Saturday November 17, 2018

Dear Christopher, thanks for your post on my blog.  Spousal maintenance is appropriately paid when needs are an issue, the children are ‘children of the family’ despite them not being children of your marriage so they will be a factor and their welfare will be considered first.  If your wife can demonstrate that she could afford to stay in that property and pay the mortgage with you paying spousal maintenance to her at a rate that was affordable by you taking into account your own financial needs, then yes you might be liable for spousal maintenance, until such time as she transition to financial independence without undue hardship, there is a scenario whereby you may have to stay on the mortgage for the interim until she can take on the mortgage or until the house is sold.  It does not matter that the house is in your sole name, it is an asset of your marriage.  Without knowing all the facts and figures I cannot advise you fully of course, but if you did want a consultation then I would be happy to provide it, just contact me to arrange a convenient time for us to speak.

By Sue Harwood on Monday November 19, 2018

Blog Author - Susan Harwood

Susan HarwoodSusan Harwood

Sue is a divorce and family lawyer with Woolley & Co, predominantly based in Cornwall, but managing cases across the south west and also working in London.

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