The Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG), published by the federal Department of Justice, are not a law, but are almost always used by lawyers, mediators, arbitrators, and judges to determine spousal support amounts and duration. The SSAG guide decisions around who should receive Spousal Support, how much support should be paid, and how long support should last.

The SSAG aim to provide a framework for calculating Spousal Support that is more predictable and consistent. They offer two formulas: one for cases with children and one for cases without. They aim to standardize results across similar situations.

The SSAG consider factors like the gross income of each spouse, the length of the relationship, and whether or not there's children. Judges retain the discretion to deviate from the SSAG if they deem it necessary based on the specific circumstances of a case.

Once entitlement to Spousal Support is established, the next big question is how much support should be paid, and for how long? That's where the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines come in. These guidelines help calculate a range of reasonable amounts and durations based on your specific circumstances.

The SSAG generate two main things:

The goal isn't a "perfect" number but rather a fair starting point for negotiation or legal review.

The SSAG use different formulas depending on whether you have children.

This formula is used when there are dependent children and Child Support is being paid. This formula considers each spouse's income, Child Support obligations, and parenting arrangements such as a shared versus primary co-parenting arrangement.

Note: Support tends to be lower in this formula because Child Support already helps balance household finances.

This formula is used when there are no dependent children or Child Support is not relevant. This formula is simpler and is based primarily on the difference in gross income and the length of the relationship.

A typical range is 1.5% to 2% of the income difference per year of cohabitation, up to a maximum of 50% of the difference.

The suggested duration is also based on the type of formula and the relationship length. For relationships without children, the duration is usually 0.5 to 1 year of support per year of the relationship. For example, a 10-year relationship would typically result in 5 to 10 years of support.

For relationships with children, duration may depend on when the youngest child finishes high school or becomes independent.

Indefinite support, which means an undefined time period subject to variation and review, may apply for long relationships of 20 or more years where the duration of the relationship and the age of the recipient add up to 65 (known as the Rule of 65), or when support is tied to a child's future independence.