How Long Does Spousal Support Last?

There is no fixed formula for how long spousal support lasts after a California divorce, but there are well-established rules of thumb and a few named doctrines that shape the answer.

For a marriage of less than ten years, California Code Family Code § 4320(l) sets a goal that the supported spouse become self-supporting within a reasonable period, and the statute says that period is generally one half the length of the marriage. The court can order more or less depending on the other California Code Family Code § 4320 factors.

A marriage of ten years or more is a marriage of long duration under California Code Family Code § 4336. In that case the court retains jurisdiction over spousal support indefinitely unless the parties agree otherwise. That does not mean support is permanent; it means the court can revisit it rather than being cut off by the passage of time.

Two named orders come up often. A Gavron warning, now codified at California Code Family Code § 4330(b), is the court’s notice to the supported spouse that he or she is expected to make reasonable efforts to become self-supporting, and that failing to do so may be a reason to reduce or end support later. A Richmond order, from In re Marriage of Richmond (1980) 105 Cal.App.3d 352, sets support to step down or end on a future date unless the supported spouse returns to court before then and shows good cause to extend it. The order shifts the burden to the supported spouse to act.

Support orders can usually be modified when circumstances change materially, and they end by law under California Code Family Code § 4337 on the death of either party or the remarriage of the supported spouse unless the parties agreed otherwise in writing.