How does the law of spousal maintenance actually work?
The law regarding spousal maintenance is A.R.S. § 25-319. It has two parts for determining maintenance. Under A.R.S. § 25-319(A), a spouse must meet one of the five listed criteria to qualify for spousal maintenance. Once they do, we move onto A.R.S. § 25-319(B) to determine the amount. There are currently thirteen (13) factors the Court considers in determining the amount and duration of spousal maintenance. You will note there is no formula, and the factors really don’t have much to do with actual picking an amount or duration. That is why it is such a gray area because you can get one number from one judge, and go next door to the next judge, and with the same facts, get a vastly different number.
