Alimony And Marital Property
Fam. Law § 8-205 and § 11-106 — what the court weighs in dividing property and setting alimony
After deciding what is marital property and its value, a Maryland court may grant a monetary award, transfer an interest in a pension or retirement plan, in family use personal property, or in the jointly owned family home, or both, whether or not it awards alimony. It weighs each spouse's monetary and nonmonetary contributions to the family, the value of each one's property, their economic circumstances, what led to the estrangement, the length of the marriage, their ages and health, and how the property was acquired.
For alimony the court sets an amount and a period, weighing among other things the ability of the spouse seeking it to be self supporting, the time needed for education or training, the standard of living during the marriage, the length of the marriage, contributions, the reasons for the estrangement, age and health, the other spouse's ability to pay, and any agreement.
Indefinite alimony. The court may award alimony with no end date when age, illness, infirmity or disability means the spouse cannot reasonably be expected to make substantial progress toward self support, or when, even after all the progress that can be expected, the two standards of living would be unconscionably disparate.
Sources for this section (2)
- Md. Code, Fam. Law § 8-205 — Marital property award
- Md. Code, Fam. Law § 11-106 — Alimony
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maryland attorney.