Is there ever a requirement of fault for spousal support to be awarded?

At one time there was this requirement. If the recipient was guilty of marital fault of some sort – the most common being adultery – then spousal support was barred or automatically awarded depending upon which spouse was guilty. The law changed in all states to holding fault as a factor only if the fault led to the marital breakdown. For example, if the marriage broke down because of adultery. Often adultery or other marital faults are a reaction to the breakdown of the marriage, rather than the cause.

With the rise in no-fault divorce, the fault requirement has almost faded completely. A practical matter, in many divorces, even if traditional fault grounds such as adultery are present, the divorcing spouses may opt for a no-fault divorce, in order to avoid the added time, stress, and financial burden of a contested based divorce.