Spousal support is separate from child support and property division. A claim can involve entitlement first, followed by amount and duration. The applicable statute can differ depending on whether the parties are divorcing or proceeding under provincial law.
Sources checked September 29, 2026.
Entitlement
A support claim begins with whether a spouse or partner is legally entitled to support in the circumstances.
- compensatory support
- non-compensatory support
- contractual context
Amount and duration
Once entitlement is established or agreed, income, relationship history, needs, means and other factors can affect amount and duration.
- income
- relationship length
- self-sufficiency
Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines
The SSAGs can assist with ranges for amount and duration but are not legislation and do not decide entitlement.
- with-child-support formula
- without-child-support formula
- ranges rather than mandatory tables
Common-law support
Provincial legislation can permit spousal-support claims by qualifying unmarried partners even though common-law property rights differ from married spouses.
- two-year relationship threshold under PSA
- child together
- provincial support claim
Variation, termination and enforcement
Existing support orders can raise questions about material change, review clauses, termination events and MEP enforcement.
- material change
- review or end date
- Maintenance Enforcement Program
Official sources
- Nova Scotia Family Law — Spousal Support
- Nova Scotia Family Law — Spousal Support FAQs
- Nova Scotia Family Law — Changing Spousal Support