Does a very long marriage mean I am entitled to lifelong spousal support?

A long marriage — often described as 20 or more years — significantly increases both the likelihood of a support award and its duration. After a very long marriage, courts frequently order indefinite support, especially when one spouse gave up career advancement to care for children or support the other's career, and is now older and faces real barriers to becoming self-sufficient.

That said, "indefinite" is not the same as "guaranteed for life." It means no fixed end date was set, but either party can apply to vary or terminate if circumstances change — such as the recipient becoming better off financially, the payor retiring with a reduced income, or either party experiencing major health changes.

For long marriages, courts also focus on the standard of living established during the marriage. The goal is not to replicate that lifestyle perfectly but to ensure neither spouse faces severe financial hardship relative to what was built together. If you are in a long marriage and approaching separation, documenting your financial history and the contributions each of you made — financial and non-financial — is important groundwork for any support claim.