Family law in practice
Spousal support after a long marriage: what California judges actually weigh
Clients come in with a number from an online calculator and ask whether it is right. For temporary support, during the case, it probably is close. For the support order in the judgment after a long marriage, the calculator is not the law, and judges in San Francisco and San Mateo will say so from the bench.
Why ten years matters
A marriage of ten years or more is presumed to be of long duration. The practical effect is that the court retains jurisdiction over spousal support indefinitely unless the parties agree otherwise. It does not mean support lasts forever; it means the court can revisit it, and it means a supported spouse cannot be told at judgment that support will end on a date certain without evidence that they can be self-supporting by then.
The factors, in the order they actually matter
The statute lists more than a dozen considerations. In practice, four of them do most of the work.
The marital standard of living. Not what the parties could have afforded, but how they actually lived. This is proven with bank statements and tax returns, not adjectives. A couple who earned $600,000 and saved half of it did not live a $600,000 lifestyle, and the court will notice.
Earning capacity, not just earnings. A spouse who stepped back from a career to raise children is entitled to support that accounts for the time it will take to re-enter, but is also expected to make the effort. A spouse who is voluntarily underemployed can have income imputed. Vocational evaluations are common in contested cases and are worth doing early.
Ability to pay. After taxes and after child support. Where the paying spouse's income is mostly bonus or equity, expect a percentage order on the variable piece rather than a fixed number based on a good year.
Domestic violence. A documented history weighs against the abusive spouse and, where there is a criminal conviction, can bar an award in that spouse's favor entirely. It is one of the reasons restraining-order proceedings during a divorce have consequences well beyond the protective order itself.
The warning that isn't optional
In most cases the court will advise the supported spouse that they are expected to become self-supporting within a reasonable time. In a long marriage, "reasonable" is measured against the circumstances, not against half the length of the marriage. But the advisement is real, and a supported spouse who makes no effort over the years following judgment will find that a later modification hearing goes badly.
What this means for how the case is run
Long-marriage support is won on the record. That means building the standard-of-living evidence from the first disclosure, getting a vocational evaluation when earning capacity is contested, and structuring the order so it handles bonuses, retirement and remarriage without a return trip to court. The calculator is where the conversation begins. It is a mistake to let it end there.
This article is general information about California family law, not legal advice about your situation. Every case turns on its facts.