Alimony
23 Pa.C.S. 3701 — only if necessary, weighed on seventeen factors, and ended by remarriage
Only if necessary. After a divorce decree, a Pennsylvania court may allow alimony to either party only if it finds alimony is necessary. It sets the duration, definite or indefinite, and states its reasons for awarding or denying it.
- Earnings and earning capacities, ages and health.
- The length of the marriage and the standard of living in it.
- Contributions to the other's education or earning power, and as a homemaker.
- Each one's assets, liabilities, needs, and property brought to the marriage.
- Whether the spouse asking lacks enough property, including what was divided, and cannot support themselves through appropriate work.
- Marital misconduct during the marriage, though not after final separation, except that abuse is always considered.
Those are among the factors. An order can be modified, suspended or ended on a substantial and continuing change in circumstances, and the recipient's remarriage ends it.
Sources for this section (1)
- 23 Pa.C.S. 3701 — Alimony
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.