In England the parent with whom the children live for most of their time will receive child maintenance from the other parent until each child reaches the age of 18.

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Spousal maintenance will depend on a variety of factors such as the duration of the marriage, age, earning capacity and so on. A spouse who has not worked for most of a long marriage could potentially receive maintenance from the other spouse for the rest of their life. This maintenance can be capitalised at any stage if there are sufficient funds, and the court also has power to make orders transferring part of one spouse’s pension to the other. If both spouses are working at the time of separation and are earning enough to support themselves, frequently no maintenance will be payable.