Kansas · Alimony · Updated Oct 2026

Alimony in Kansas

What Kansas law says about alimony: when a court can order it, amount and length, how it relates to dividing property and how to ask for it.

The short answer

In Kansas, alimony is called maintenance. The court may award an amount it finds fair, but no single award can last more than 121 months (about 10 years).

What Kansas calls it
maintenance
Property division
Equitable distribution
Law
K.S.A. 23-2902, 23-2904.

Alimony rules in Kansas

  • Called maintenance.
  • The court may award an amount it finds fair, but no single award can last more than 121 months (about 10 years).
  • If the decree reserves the power, the recipient can ask, before payments end, to reinstate maintenance for up to another 121 months, and can ask again before each later period ends.

Law: K.S.A. 23-2902, 23-2904.

Good to know

Kansas caps maintenance (alimony) at 121 months unless reinstated (K.S.A. 23-2904).

Alimony and property in Kansas

Spousal support is a separate question from dividing property and debts.

System
Equitable distribution
The rule
The court divides all property, whether owned before marriage, acquired individually, or acquired together, in a just and reasonable way. Factors include age, length of the marriage, property owned, earning capacity, how it was acquired, family ties, and dissipation.

How to ask for alimony in Kansas

  1. Ask for it in your divorce papers

    Spousal support is decided in the divorce case: ask for it in your petition, or in your response if your spouse filed. Use the court's official divorce forms: Divorce forms (Kansas courts)

  2. Pay the fee or ask for a waiver

    $173 docket fee set by statute (K.S.A. 60-2001(a)); some courts add charges. Can't afford it? File a poverty affidavit (affidavit of inability to pay) instead of the fee; no fee is required if the court accepts it (K.S.A. 60-2001(b)).

  3. Agree, or let the judge decide

    If you and your spouse agree, put it in your written agreement; if not, the judge decides. Courts may order mediation of custody and parenting issues (K.S.A. 23-3502); many districts use it routinely.

  4. Get it in the final decree

    Spousal support is ordered in the decree. Get a certified copy and keep it.

Questions about alimony in Kansas

How does alimony work in Kansas?

Called maintenance. The court may award an amount it finds fair, but no single award can last more than 121 months (about 10 years). If the decree reserves the power, the recipient can ask, before payments end, to reinstate maintenance for up to another 121 months, and can ask again before each later period ends.

Is Kansas a community property state?

No. Kansas uses equitable distribution. The court divides all property, whether owned before marriage, acquired individually, or acquired together, in a just and reasonable way. Factors include age, length of the marriage, property owned, earning capacity, how it was acquired, family ties, and dissipation.

More about divorce in Kansas

Alimony in nearby states

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.