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Maintenance

In Illinois, an award of maintenance (formerly known as “alimony”) may be ordered in the final Judgment for Dissolution of Marriage.  The judge can also order temporary maintenance to be paid during the divorce process itself.  If maintenance is not awarded in the final Judgment, neither party can come back into court and ask for maintenance.

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Since January 1, 2016, there has been a maintenance formula in Illinois. The judge still first has to decide whether maintenance is appropriate (based on the 14 factors listed below), then, if maintenance is appropriate, the judge has to either order guideline maintenance, or state a specific reasons for not ordering guideline maintenance.


The guideline for the amount of maintenance is 33.3% of the higher earner’s net income less 25% of the lower earner’s net income, as long as the person receiving maintenance doesn’t receive more than 40% of the total gross incomes.


The guideline for the length of maintenance is determined by multiplying the length of the marriage at the time the action was commenced by whichever of the following factors applies: less than 5 years (.20); 5 years or more but less than 6 years (.24); 6 years or more but less than 7 years (.28); 7 years or more but less than 8 years (.32); 8 years or more but less than 9 years (.36); 9 years or more but less than 10 years (.40); 10 years or more but less than 11 years (.44); 11 years or more but less than 12 years (.48); 12 years or more but less than 13 years (.52); 13 years or more but less than 14 years (.56); 14 years or more but less than 15 years (.60); 15 years or more but less than 16 years (.64); 16 years or more but less than 17 years (.68); 17 years or more but less than 18 years (.72); 18 years or more but less than 19 years (.76); 19 years or more but less than 20 years (.80). For a marriage of 20 or more years, the court, in its discretion, shall order maintenance for a period equal to the length of the marriage or for an indefinite term.


The statute lists 14 factors for the court to consider when determining if maintenance is appropriate:

  1. the income and property of each party, including marital property apportioned and non-marital property assigned to the party seeking maintenance as well as all financial obligations imposed on the parties as a result of the dissolution of marriage;

  2. the needs of each party;

  3. the realistic present and future earning capacity of each party;

  4. any impairment of the present and future earning capacity of the party seeking maintenance due to that party devoting time to domestic duties or having forgone or delayed education, training, employment, or career opportunities due to the marriage;

  5. any impairment of the realistic present or future earning capacity of the party against whom maintenance is sought;

  6. the time necessary to enable the party seeking maintenance to acquire appropriate education, training, and employment, and whether that party is able to support himself or herself through appropriate employment or any parental responsibility arrangements and its effect on the party seeking employment;

  7. the standard of living established during the marriage;

  8. the duration of the marriage;

  9. the age, health, station, occupation, amount and sources of income, vocational skills, employability, estate, liabilities, and the needs of each of the parties;

  10. all sources of public and private income including, without limitation, disability and retirement income;

  11. the tax consequences of the property division upon the respective economic circumstances of the parties;

  12. contributions and services by the party seeking maintenance to the education, training, career or career potential, or license of the other spouse;

  13. any valid agreement of the parties; and

  14. any other factor that the court expressly finds to be just and equitable.

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