How Long Do I Get Alimony in Colorado?

Erica L. Bertini
By: Erica L. Bertini
PublishedMay 4, 2023
5 minute read

Alimony, often called spousal maintenance or spousal support in Colorado, refers to periodic payments made by a higher-earning spouse to a lower-earning spouse during and/or after a divorce or legal separation. The court has the authority to order permanent spousal maintenance payments or limit these payments to a specific time period. Read this article to learn more about how long you can receive alimony in Colorado.

Bottom Line

How long you can receive alimony payments depends largely on the length of your marriage, but courts will consider multiple other factors when making these determinations.

Want to calculate your own alimony payments?

Try our interactive alimony calculator to calculate how much, and how long, you’ll pay alimony in Colorado.

A manila envelope with "alimony" written on it in black marker clipped to paper money.

Why Do Courts Award Alimony?

Spousal maintenance exists to limit the disparate economic impacts of divorce by providing financial support to the lower-earning spouse. In some marriages, one spouse is the breadwinner while the other takes care of the home and children, especially if the children are very young. 

If you chose to forego a career to raise your kids, re-entering the workforce can be difficult. Spousal maintenance is meant to serve as an economic buffer while you develop the necessary job skills to support yourself.

Alimony Can be Temporary or Long-Term

Colorado courts can award two types of spousal maintenance: temporary maintenance during the divorce process or long-term maintenance after the divorce is final.

How Long Does Temporary Maintenance Last?

Temporary maintenance is sometimes called separation alimony. If one spouse cannot financially support themselves while the divorce is pending, a judge can order the higher-earning spouse to pay spousal maintenance on a temporary basis. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 14-10-114(4)

Temporary maintenance ends when the divorce is finalized. At that time, spousal support will kick in if it was awarded.

Can I Get Alimony For the Rest of My Life?

It’s possible, but rare. Lifelong alimony is typically only awarded in cases where a spouse cannot easily find employment due to advanced age, poor health, or when a couple was married for 20 years or longer:

“While the court may, in its discretion, award permanent maintenance, it is not required to do so.” In re Marriage of Fisher, 931 P.2d 558, 558 (Colo. App. 1996)

So How Long Can I Get Alimony?

Colorado law sets forth advisory guidelines for spousal maintenance awards in marriages lasting at least three years but not longer than 20 years. 

If you were married for less than three years, the court may award maintenance if “given the circumstances of the parties, the distribution of marital property is insufficient to achieve an equitable result.” C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(h).

If you and your spouse have been married for three years, you could owe alimony for 11 months, or 31 percent of the marriage. That percentage increases the longer you’re married. For example, if you were married for five years, the law recommends alimony for 35 percent of that time.

State Law Caps How Long You Can Receive Alimony

You will generally not be required to pay maintenance for more than half the time you were married. Once you’ve been married for 12 and a half years, the maintenance term becomes 50 percent of the length of the marriage. If you were married for 20 years, you could receive alimony for 10 years.

If your marriage lasted longer than 20 years, the court can award maintenance for either a specific amount of time or indefinitely. However, the court may not legally award maintenance for a shorter duration than specified under the guidelines for a 20-year marriage without making specific findings to support a shorter term. C.R.S. § 14-10-114

What Else Does the Court Consider?

The length of your marriage is not the sole determining factor the court considers when determining how long to order maintenance payments. The court will take into account all relevant factors, including:

  • the financial resources of both you and your spouse
  • your lifestyle during the marriage
  • the employment history, and employability, of both you and your spouse
  • the age and health of you and your spouse
  • contributions to the marriage, and
  • whether your maintenance payments are deductible for federal tax purposes

Call Us Today

A favorable spousal maintenance agreement can make all the difference when you’re starting anew after a divorce. Our family law attorneys can help you safeguard your financial future. Call 303-688-0944 today to begin your case assessment.

How Long Could Your Colorado Alimony Term Last?

If your marriage lasted longer than three years but not more than 20, you can use this table to determine how long the court may recommend spousal maintenance in your case:

Months of Marriage Percentage Guideline Term of Maintenance
36 31% 11 months
37 31.17% 12 months
38 31.33% 12 months
39 31.5% 12 months
40 31.67% 13 months
41 31.83% 13 months
42 32% 13 months
43 32.17% 14 months
44 32.33% 14 months
45 32.5% 15 months
46 32.67% 15 months
47 32.83% 15 months
48 33% 16 months
49 33.17% 16 months
50 33.33% 17 months
51 33.5% 17 months
52 33.67% 18 months
53 33.83% 18 months
54 34% 18 months
55 34.17% 19 months
56 34.33% 19 months
57 34.5% 20 months
58 34.67% 20 months
59 34.83% 21 months
60 35% 21 months
61 35.17% 21 months
62 35.33% 22 months
63 35.5% 22 months
64 35.67% 23 months
65 35.83% 23 months
66 36% 24 months
67 36.17% 24 months
68 36.33% 25 months
69 36.5% 25 months
70 36.67% 26 months
71 36.83% 26 months
72 37% 27 months
73 37.17% 27 months
74 37.33% 28 months
75 37.5% 28 months
76 37.67% 29 months
77 37.83% 29 months
78 38% 30 months
79 38.17% 30 months
80 38.33% 31 months
81 38.5% 31 months
82 38.67% 32 months
83 38.83% 32 months
84 39% 33 months
85 39.17% 33 months
86 39.33% 34 months
87 39.5% 34 months
88 39.67% 35 months
89 39.83% 35 months
90 40% 36 months
91 40.17% 37 months
92 40.33% 37 months
93 40.5% 38 months
94 40.67% 38 months
95 40.83% 39 months
96 41% 39 months
97 41.17% 40 months
98 41.33% 41 months
99 41.5% 41 months
100 41.67% 42 months
101 41.83% 42 months
102 42% 43 months
103 42.17% 43 months
104 42.33% 44 months
105 42.5% 45 months
106 42.67% 45 months
107 42.83% 46 months
108 43% 46 months
109 43.17% 47 months
110 43.33% 48 months
111 43.5% 48 months
112 43.67% 49 months
113 43.83% 50 months
114 44% 50 months
115 44.17% 51 months
116 44.33% 51 months
117 44.5% 52 months
118 44.67% 53 months
119 44.83% 53 months
120 45% 54 months
121 45.17% 55 months
122 45.33% 55 months
123 45.5% 56 months
124 45.67% 57 months
125 45.83% 57 months
126 46% 58 months
127 46.17% 59 months
128 46.33% 59 months
129 46.5% 60 months
130 46.67% 61 months
131 46.83% 61 months
132 47% 62 months
133 47.17% 63 months
134 47.33% 63 months
135 47.5% 64 months
136 47.67% 65 months
137 47.83% 66 months
138 48% 66 months
139 48.17% 67 months
140 48.33% 68 months
141 48.5% 68 months
142 48.67% 69 months
143 48.83% 70 months
144 49% 71 months
145 49.17% 71 months
146 49.33% 72 months
147 49.5% 73 months
148 49.67% 74 months
149 49.83% 74 months
150 50% 75 months
151 50% 76 months
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