Updated September 1, 2026. Quick answer: Rhode Island describes alimony as support for a reasonable time toward financial independence and self-sufficiency.
This page is limited to the controlling Rhode Island alimony rule captured below. It does not substitute a generic gray-divorce checklist for the state-specific answer.
The state rule that changes the answer
- Rhode Island describes alimony as support for a reasonable time toward financial independence and self-sufficiency.
- The court may instead award indefinite alimony, in its discretion, based on the cross-referenced time and expense needed for the supported spouse to gain education or training, marketable skills, and suitable work.
- The recipient's remarriage automatically terminates the payment obligation at once.
Build the later-life review sheet
Copy each factor, threshold, formula, or procedure named in the controlling section into a separate field before comparing possible support structures. Do not add an input the source does not name.
Label each entry as eligibility, amount, duration, termination, or required finding, as applicable. That keeps a threshold rule from being presented as a guaranteed result.
Keep adjacent divorce questions with their owners
This page does not restate property-division, QDRO or pension, Social Security or Medicare, estate, divorce-statistics, or debt content.
Primary source and verification
The controlling source used here is R.I. Gen. Laws § 15-5-16. Confirm the current official text and the facts of the order before acting; this is a source-backed planning guide, not individualized legal advice.