Spousal Maintenance

In Singapore, pursuant to Section 113 of the Women’s charter, the court may order the husband to pay maintenance to his wife/ex-wife either before granting or subsequent to the grant of a judgment of divorce. At this present moment, there is no corresponding provision under Singapore law for a wife to pay maintenance to her husband/ex-husband.

The court has the discretion to decide on the quantum of maintenance required to be paid to the wife/ex-wife, taking into account all the facts of the case.

Under Section 114 of the Charter, the court will consider the following factors:

• The salary and earning capacity of each party in the past, present and future
• The financial needs and obligations of each party in the future
• The standard of living of each party before the marriage broke down
• The age of both parties and the length of marriage
• Any direct and indirect contributions made by each party to the household
• Any losses suffered by each party as a result of their marriage