Reviewed for current 2026 law

Delaware Alimony Factors 2026

Delaware decides amount through dependency findings and statutory factors, not a statewide dollar formula.

Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log

alimony factors

No statewide dollar formula

No invented award amount

No responsible dollar estimate is available

DE sets alimony by judicial discretion; there is no statutory formula. Courts weigh the enumerated factors below.

Factors the court weighs instead

Consultation checklist: check a topic after you have gathered information or written a question about it. Checkmarks are not a score, eligibility test, or prediction. This page does not save or send your selections.

13 Del. C. § 1512(c)

Duration limits

  • Marriage under 20 years: Eligibility may not exceed 50% of the marriage term
  • Marriage 20 years or longer: No statutory eligibility time limit, subject to the factors

13 Del. C. § 1512(d)

Assumptions

  • This tool does not estimate a dollar amount for discretionary states: any number would be invented.
  • Delaware requires dependency findings and judicial weighing. The statute contains no dollar formula.

Estimate only. The court or state agency calculation controls.

Delaware alimony under 13 Del. C. § 1512.

Eligibility starts with dependency

The prospective recipient must lack sufficient property and be unable to self-support through appropriate employment, subject to the child-custodian rule.

Section 1512 lists ten factor categories and tells the court to set an amount and time it deems just without regard to marital misconduct.

For a marriage under 20 years, eligibility generally may not exceed half the marriage term.

Dollar formula
Nonesource
Factor categories
Tensource
Under 20 years
Up to 50% of marriage termsource

Prepare dependency and factor evidence

Collect budgets, property records, employment and training evidence, health records, and proof of the marital standard of living.

The checklist cannot predict a judge discretionary dollar award.

What this estimate includes

  • Dependency requirements
  • Ten factor categories
  • Duration rule

What it leaves out

  • Dollar prediction
  • Guaranteed eligibility
  • Tax advice

Delaware alimony factors FAQs

Does Delaware have an alimony formula?

No. The statute supplies eligibility, factors, and a duration limit but no dollar equation.

Who may qualify?

A dependent party who lacks sufficient property and cannot appropriately self-support may qualify after the statutory analysis.

Does marital misconduct count?

Section 1512 says amount and time are decided without regard to marital misconduct.

How long can alimony last?

For marriages under 20 years, eligibility is capped at 50 percent of the marriage term; at 20 years or more, there is no statutory eligibility time limit.

Does remarriage end alimony?

Unless the parties agree otherwise, remarriage or cohabitation of the recipient terminates future alimony.

Why is there no amount?

A dollar result would imply a formula Delaware law does not contain.

Official sources

Official sources last verified: .

Changelog: page reviewed . Material changes appear in the update log.