Self-Sufficiency Standard

In 2022, the Legislature amended the spousal maintenance statute. Among its changes was the addition of a sentence into A.R.S. 25-319(B). This sentence announced a limitation on spousal maintenance awards: Spousal maintenance should be awarded only for the amount and duration necessary for the recipient spouse to become self-sufficient. This emphasis did not exist in the prior statute. Therefore, when determining whether a spouse who is eligible for spousal maintenance is entitled for spousal maintenance, and also, at the next step, when a Court is determining the amount and duration, the issue of what that spouse needs to become self-sufficient becomes a primary consideration.