In Maryland, alimony is typically awarded for a period of “rehabilitation” until the spouse receiving alimony can be expected to become self-supporting through education, training or work experience (e.g., 3 – 5 years).

The Court can award indefinite alimony if it finds that: (1) due to age, illness, infirmity, or disability, the party seeking alimony cannot reasonably be expected to make substantial progress toward becoming self-supporting; or (2) even after the party seeking alimony will have made as much progress toward becoming self-supporting as can reasonably be expected, the respective standards of living of the parties will be unconscionably disparate.

Indefinite alimony is typically awarded in cases with a long-term marriage (e.g., 20 years) where one spouse will always earn substantially more than the other spouse.