Alimony (spousal support) in Connecticut is designed to help a lower-earning spouse maintain a reasonable standard of living after divorce. This comprehensive guide covers the types of alimony available in Connecticut, how courts calculate amounts, duration guidelines, modification rules, and the impact of remarriage, cohabitation, and retirement on support obligations. Understanding Connecticut’s alimony laws helps both paying and receiving spouses plan their financial futures.
Verified against Connecticut family law statutes as of May 2026.
In This Connecticut Alimony Guide:
Types of Alimony in Connecticut
Connecticut courts may award the following types of alimony:
- Temporary (pendente lite
- § 46b-83)
- Rehabilitative (most common
- time-limited for education/training)
- Permanent/Indefinite (no end date
- terminable on death or remarriage)
- Lump-Sum (one-time payment)
- Reimbursement (compensates spouse for sacrifices during marriage such as supporting other through school). Connecticut does NOT have a statutory “bridge-the-gap” or “durational” category — those functions are handled through judicial discretion within rehabilitative or permanent orders.
How Connecticut Calculates Alimony
Connecticut does not have a fixed formula for calculating alimony. Courts use judicial discretion, weighing multiple factors to determine a fair amount and duration.
Connecticut courts consider these factors when determining alimony:
- Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-82
- courts consider: (1) length of the marriage; (2) causes for the dissolution
- annulment
- or legal separation; (3) age of each party; (4) health of each party; (5) station of each party (standard of living); (6) occupation of each party; (7) amount and sources of income of each party; (8) earning capacity of each party; (9) vocational skills of each party; (10) education of each party; (11) employability of each party; (12) estate of each party (assets and property); (13) needs of each party; (14) the property division award made under § 46b-81; (15) desirability and feasibility of the custodial parent securing employment. The court is not required to give equal weight to each factor.
Income disparity: No specific income disparity threshold is required by statute. However, income disparity is the primary practical driver of alimony awards — if incomes are comparable, alimony is unlikely. The greater the disparity, the more likely an award. Factors 7 and 8 of § 46b-82 (income sources and earning capacity) directly address this. There is no minimum income difference required; it is entirely within judicial discretion.
Vocational evaluation: YES. Connecticut courts use vocational evaluations to assess earning capacity. Courts can consider earning capacity as distinct from actual income. The legal standard from case law defines earning capacity as the amount a person can “realistically be expected to earn” considering vocational skills, employability, age, and health. Courts may also impute income to a party who has willfully restricted earning capacity to avoid support obligations.
Connecticut Alimony Duration Guidelines
Connecticut has NO statutory duration limits or caps on alimony. Duration is entirely within judicial discretion. Informal practitioner benchmarks (not codified): short marriages under 10 years typically receive rehabilitative alimony for less than the marriage length; medium marriages 10-20 years receive a mix; long marriages over 20 years are more likely to receive permanent alimony. Under § 46b-82(b), if a court enters a lifetime order terminable only on death or remarriage, it must articulate with specificity the basis for that order.
| Marriage Length | Typical Alimony Duration |
|---|---|
| Short-term (under No statutory definition. Informally, practitioners and courts generally treat marriages under 10 years as short-term, but this is not codified.) | Rehabilitative or bridge-the-gap; limited duration |
| Moderate-term | Durational alimony; set period based on marriage length |
| Long-term (No statutory definition. Informally, marriages of 20 or more years are generally considered long-term and more likely to result in permanent alimony, but this is not codified.+) | May qualify for permanent or indefinite alimony |
Permanent alimony: YES. Connecticut has not abolished permanent alimony. It remains available and is typically reserved for long marriages (20+ years), recipients over age 55, or cases where health conditions limit the recipient’s ability to become self-supporting. Under § 46b-82(b) (added by Public Act 13-213 in 2013), courts must articulate with specificity the basis for any order terminable only upon death or remarriage.
Modifying & Terminating Connecticut Alimony
Modification: YES. Under § 46b-86, alimony may be modified upon a showing of a substantial change in circumstances of either party. Qualifying changes include significant income increase or decrease, involuntary job loss, serious health changes, retirement at a reasonable age, or recipient’s increased self-sufficiency. Cohabitation has a lower “change” standard. Modification requires written notice and a hearing. If the separation agreement designates alimony as non-modifiable as to amount and/or duration, modification is generally barred. Nominal alimony (1 dollar per year) can preserve jurisdiction for future modification.
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Cohabitation: Cohabitation does NOT automatically terminate alimony. Under § 46b-86(b), the paying spouse may file a motion to modify if the recipient is living with another person AND that arrangement has caused a change in the recipient’s financial needs. The standard for cohabitation is a lower “change in circumstances” rather than the “substantial change” required for other modifications. If the cohabitation has no financial impact, the court may leave alimony unchanged. The court has discretion to modify, suspend, reduce, or terminate the award.
Remarriage: Remarriage of the recipient generally terminates alimony, either by the express terms of the divorce decree/agreement or by court order. The paying spouse’s remarriage does NOT terminate their alimony obligation.
Retirement: Retirement at a reasonable age (typically 65, though it varies by profession) constitutes a substantial change in circumstances that can support modification or termination of alimony under § 46b-86. The retirement must be in good faith — early or voluntary retirement intended to evade alimony obligations may not qualify. The paying spouse must file a motion to modify, and the alimony order must be modifiable (not designated non-modifiable in the agreement).
Tax Implications of Connecticut Alimony
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017), for divorce agreements executed after December 31, 2018, alimony payments are not deductible by the paying spouse and not taxable income for the receiving spouse at the federal level. This applies to all Connecticut divorces finalized after that date.
For divorces finalized before 2019, the old rules still apply unless the agreement is modified to adopt the new tax treatment.
Impact of Misconduct on Connecticut Alimony
Adultery: YES, adultery can affect alimony awards. Under § 46b-82, “the causes for the dissolution” is a statutory factor. A cheating spouse ordered to pay may face a higher amount; a cheating spouse seeking alimony may receive a reduced amount. However, adultery is one factor among many and is rarely the primary determinant. Adultery evidence is relevant only at the initial alimony determination and cannot be reintroduced at the modification stage. Additionally, § 46b-82a provides an absolute bar on alimony to any spouse convicted of attempted murder, Class A or B felony sexual assault, or Class A or B felony family violence against the other spouse.
Other marital misconduct: YES. Because “causes for the dissolution” is a statutory factor under § 46b-82, all forms of marital fault — including abuse, abandonment, cruelty, and other misconduct — can influence alimony awards. Connecticut allows both no-fault and fault-based divorce, and even in a no-fault dissolution the court may consider evidence of misconduct when determining alimony. The § 46b-82a absolute bar also applies to convictions for violent crimes against the other spouse.
Additional Connecticut rules: (1) Public Act 13-213 (2013) required courts to articulate with specificity the basis for any lifetime alimony order — this is the most significant recent reform. (2) Connecticut’s alimony and property division statutes were made gender-neutral by the same 2013 act. (3) Multiple reform bills modeled after Massachusetts’ 2011 Alimony Reform Act (including HB 5532 and SB 844 in 2024) have been introduced but none have passed as of 2026. (4) § 46b-82a provides an absolute bar on alimony to a spouse convicted of attempted murder, sexual assault, or family violence felonies against the other spouse, and existing awards are terminated upon such conviction. (5) A waiver of alimony is almost always permanent and non-modifiable. (6) Connecticut remains a fully discretionary alimony state with no statutory caps on amount or duration.
Official Sources & Resources
- Cornell LII — Alimony: law.cornell.edu
- NCSL Spousal Support: ncsl.org
- Connecticut Alimony Statute: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-82 (alimony — main statute, factors, authority); § 46b-82(b) (requirement to articulate basis for lifetime orders); § 46b-82a (prohibition on alimony to spouse convicted of crimes against other spouse); § 46b-83 (temporary/pendente lite alimony); § 46b-86 (modification of alimony); § 46b-86(b) (cohabitation provisions for modification). All located in Chapter 815j of the Connecticut General Statutes.
Last verified May 2026. Contact us if you notice outdated information.