We were married for eight months and have no children. Do I have any claim to support?

After an eight-month marriage without children, entitlement to spousal support is possible but difficult to establish. Courts and the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG) produce very modest amounts and very short durations for brief marriages where neither party suffered significant economic disadvantage.

For support to be warranted, you would generally need to show a real, documented economic sacrifice caused by the marriage itself — for example, relocating at significant expense for the relationship, leaving a well-paying job to support your spouse's move, or giving up educational opportunities. Without a demonstrated economic loss tied to the marriage, courts are unlikely to find strong entitlement.

The SSAG would suggest a duration of roughly a few months to perhaps a year at most for a marriage this short, and only if entitlement exists at all. If both spouses are relatively young and financially independent, with no career-altering sacrifices made, a court may find no entitlement. A realistic legal consultation — including an honest discussion of the strength of your claim — before filing is important to understand what you can realistically expect.