Nevada Alimony (Spousal Support)

Part of my Nevada Family Law Overview.

By Ronald W. Brilliant, Attorney at Law · Licensed in Idaho, Nevada & California · Last reviewed: September 2026 against Nevada Revised Statutes Title 11, chapters 121 through 130 (current through the 2025 legislative session and 2026 special session revisions)

In This TopicNevada Family LawTopic 8 of 15: Alimony

Nevada’s divorce statutes use the word alimony for payments the court may order one spouse to make to the other when it grants a divorce. In granting a divorce, the court may award alimony to either spouse, in a specified principal sum or as specified periodic payments, as appears just and equitable (NRS 125.150(1)(a)). The statutes do not set a formula or a fixed amount.

These rules apply unless an award would be contrary to a premarital agreement between the spouses that is enforceable under chapter 123A of NRS, and they are subject to a special rule for veterans’ disability benefits (NRS 125.150; NRS 125.165). If you have a premarital agreement, see Nevada Premarital Agreements.

Factors the Court Must Consider

In deciding whether to award alimony and how much, the court must consider the following, in addition to any other factors it considers relevant (NRS 125.150(9)):

1. The financial condition of each spouse;
2. The nature and value of the respective property of each spouse;
3. The contribution of each spouse to any property held by the spouses pursuant to NRS 123.030;
4. The duration of the marriage;
5. The income, earning capacity, age and health of each spouse;
6. The standard of living during the marriage;
7. The career before the marriage of the spouse who would receive the alimony;
8. The existence of specialized education or training or the level of marketable skills attained by each spouse during the marriage;
9. The contribution of either spouse as homemaker;
10. The award of property granted by the court in the divorce, other than child support and alimony, to the spouse who would receive the alimony; and
11. The physical and mental condition of each party as it relates to the financial condition, health and ability to work of that spouse.

Because the property award is one of the factors, alimony and property division are closely connected. See Nevada Property and Debt Division in Divorce.

Alimony for Job Training or Education

In granting a divorce, the court must consider the need to grant alimony to a spouse so that spouse can obtain training or education relating to a job, career or profession (NRS 125.150(10)). In addition to other relevant factors, the court must consider (NRS 125.150(10)):

• Whether the spouse who would pay the alimony obtained greater job skills or education during the marriage; and
• Whether the spouse who would receive the alimony provided financial support while the other spouse obtained job skills or education.

If the court awards this kind of alimony, its order must set the time within which the receiving spouse must begin the training or education (NRS 125.150(11)(a)). The paying spouse may file a motion to modify the order upon changed circumstances (NRS 125.150(11)(b)).

In addition to any other alimony, the receiving spouse may be granted money to provide for (NRS 125.150(11)(c)):

• Testing of the recipient’s skills relating to a job, career or profession;
• Evaluation of the recipient’s abilities and goals relating to a job, career or profession;
• Guidance in establishing a specific plan for training or education;
• Subsidizing an employer’s costs of training the recipient;
• Help searching for a job; or
• Tuition, books and fees for the equivalent of a high school diploma, college courses directly applicable to the recipient’s career goals, or courses of training in skills desirable for employment.

Support While the Divorce Is Pending

During a divorce case, the court may, in its discretion, on application by either spouse and notice to the other, require either spouse to pay money to provide temporary maintenance for the other spouse, temporary support for their children, or to enable the other spouse to carry on or defend the suit (NRS 125.040(1)). The court may make orders affecting property for these purposes, but only after considering each party’s financial situation (NRS 125.040(2)).

Using Separate Property for Support

In granting a divorce, the court may set apart a portion of either spouse’s separate property for the other spouse’s support, as is deemed just and equitable (NRS 125.150(5)). The same subsection allows the court to set apart separate property for the support of the spouses’ children (NRS 125.150(5)).

Veterans’ Disability Benefits

Unless contrary to an enforceable premarital agreement, in making an alimony award the court may not attach, levy, seize, assign or otherwise divide federal disability benefits awarded to a veteran for a service-connected disability under 38 U.S.C. §§ 1101 to 1151 (NRS 125.165).

When Alimony Payments End

If either party dies, or if the spouse receiving specified periodic payments remarries, all payments required by the decree must stop, unless the court ordered otherwise (NRS 125.150(6)).

Changing an Alimony Award

When a decree, or an agreement ratified, adopted or approved in a decree, provides for specified periodic payments of alimony, the court cannot modify payments that have already accrued (NRS 125.150(8)). Payments under a decree entered on or after July 1, 1975, that have not accrued when a motion to modify is filed may be modified upon a showing of changed circumstances (NRS 125.150(8)). This is true whether or not the court expressly kept jurisdiction to modify (NRS 125.150(8)).

In deciding whether to modify, the court must consider, along with other relevant factors, whether the paying spouse’s income, as shown on his or her federal income tax return for the preceding calendar year, has dropped so low that the paying spouse is financially unable to pay the ordered amount (NRS 125.150(8)).

A change of 20 percent or more in the gross monthly income of the paying spouse is deemed to be changed circumstances requiring a review for modification of alimony (NRS 125.150(12)). “Gross monthly income” means the total monthly income from any source for a person who is not self-employed, or the gross income from any source of a self-employed person after deducting all legitimate business expenses (NRS 125.150(12)). In either case, no deduction is made for personal income taxes, retirement or pension contributions, or other personal expenses (NRS 125.150(12)).

Situation	Rule
Periodic payments already accrued	Not subject to modification (NRS 125.150(8))
Periodic payments not yet accrued (decree on or after July 1, 1975)	May be modified on a showing of changed circumstances (NRS 125.150(8))
Paying spouse’s gross monthly income changes by 20% or more	Deemed changed circumstances requiring a review (NRS 125.150(12))
Training or education alimony	Paying spouse may move to modify upon changed circumstances (NRS 125.150(11)(b))
Death of either party, or remarriage of recipient of periodic payments	Payments cease unless the court ordered otherwise (NRS 125.150(6))

Collecting Unpaid Alimony

If a party to a divorce fails to pay money required by a judgment or order, the district court may order entry of judgment for the amount in arrears, together with costs and a reasonable attorney’s fee (NRS 125.180(1)). The application must be made on the notice to the defaulting party that the court directs (NRS 125.180(2)).

The judgment may be enforced by execution or any other lawful method for collecting money judgments (NRS 125.180(3)). This remedy is in addition to any other remedy provided by law (NRS 125.180(4)).

Spousal Support in Other Settings

Summary (Joint Petition) Divorce

To use Nevada’s summary procedure for divorce, the spouses must either waive any rights to spousal support or sign an agreement setting out the amount and manner of spousal support (NRS 125.181(5)). See Nevada Divorce.

Settlement Offers

Nevada’s formal offer procedure for property rights in NRS 125.141 does not apply to spousal support. If an offer under that section includes support of a spouse, the entire offer is deemed void under that section (NRS 125.141(6)).

Separate Maintenance

A spouse who has a cause of action for divorce, or who has been deserted for 90 days, may sue for permanent support and maintenance without seeking a divorce (NRS 125.190). In that action, the court may order a fixed sum for the support of the other spouse and their children, may change, modify or revoke its orders from time to time except as provided in chapter 130 of NRS, and no order is effective beyond the joint lives of the spouses (NRS 125.210(1), (4), (5)).

The court may not order spousal support in a separate maintenance case if it is contrary to an enforceable premarital agreement (NRS 125.200(2); NRS 125.210(2)). See Nevada Annulment and Separate Maintenance.

Attorney’s Fees

Except as provided in NRS 125.141, the court may award a reasonable attorney’s fee to either party to a divorce, whether or not temporary suit money was requested under NRS 125.040 (NRS 125.150(4)).

Support for children is handled under separate rules. See Nevada Child Support.

How I Can Help

I help clients understand the factors a Nevada court must weigh on alimony, gather the financial information those factors call for, and negotiate or present alimony terms in a divorce. I also assist with motions to modify alimony after a change in circumstances and with collecting unpaid alimony. Request a consultation to discuss your situation.

This page provides general information about Nevada family law, based on the Nevada Revised Statutes as currently revised, and is not legal advice. Court rules, regulations (including the child support guidelines), and case law also affect family law matters. Every family is different; consult an attorney about your situation. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.