Divorce

Alimony, called “maintenance” in Wisconsin, is financial support paid by one spouse to the other. A judge can order maintenance in Wisconsin after considering:

• how long the marriage lasted;
• your and your spouse’s ages and health conditions;
• the division of property in the divorce;
• your and your spouse’s education levels both when you got married and at the time you filed for divorce;
• your ability to earn money, including your educational background, training, skills, work experience, time away from the job market, responsibility for the custody of children, and the time and money required to get education and training to find employment;
• the likelihood you will be able to support yourself so you can live in the way you did while married, and if possible, the time needed to do so;
• the tax consequences to you and your spouse;
• any agreement you and your spouse made either before or during the marriage to contribute financially or through service to the other, and if any repayment or agreement for financial support has been made;
• whether one of you contributed to the education, training, or ability to earn money of the other; and
• any other factor a judge decides is relevant.¹

Maintenance in Wisconsin ends either when a judge orders it to end, or when either you or your spouse dies.²

¹ Wis. Stat. § 767.56(1c)
² Wis. Stat. § 767.56(2c)