Alimony Calculator
Estimate spousal support / alimony — AAML formula benchmark, state variations (MA Alimony Reform, TX 20%/$5K cap, CA §4320 13 factors, NJ post-2014 reform), post-TCJA tax treatment
How much alimony will I pay or receive? 20-40% of income gap typical. AAML formula: (30% × payer gross) − (20% × recipient gross), capped at 40% of combined gross. Example: payer earns $150K, recipient $30K: alimony = ($45K) − ($6K) = $39K/year ($3,250/month).
⚖ AAML benchmark: 30% payor − 20% recipient income. Duration often half marriage length. TCJA: not deductible/not taxable post-2019 (federal).
$224 billion in real payouts analyzed · See what we found
Your Case Details
Answer a few questions to see your estimated range.
Approximate gap between higher-earner and lower-earner.
Estimated Monthly Support
$840 — $1,560
State formulas vary significantly. This estimate uses national averages — your state's guidelines may produce a different number.
Income Difference Between Spouses: $50K – $100K / year
0%Length of Marriage: 10 – 20 years
0%Children Under 18: No children
0%Lower Earner's Situation: Employed full-time
-20%Final amounts are set by the court. Tax treatment depends on when the order is entered.
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology
Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
Alimony / Spousal Support Framework
Alimony (also called spousal support or maintenance) is separate from asset division. Typical amount: 20-40% of the income gap between spouses. Duration varies by state + marriage length. AAML benchmark formula: Alimony = (30% × payor's gross income) − (20% × recipient's gross income), recipient's total income (wages + alimony) capped at 40% of combined gross.
Four types of alimony: (1) Temporary (pendente lite): during proceedings. (2) Rehabilitative: enables lower-earner to gain skills — most common short marriages. (3) Durational: fixed period tied to marriage length. (4) Permanent: long marriages (usually 20+) or disability/age. Many states eliminated 'permanent' label post-2014 reforms.
Post-TCJA federal tax treatment (permanent): for divorces executed AFTER December 31, 2018, alimony is NOT deductible for payer AND NOT taxable for recipient. Major shift — removed the historical tax arbitrage favoring alimony over property settlement. Pre-2019 agreements retain old rules unless modified. California exception: SB 711 created state-level deduction for payer (CA state tax only, post-2019 agreements) — federal/state mismatch.
Alimony FAQs
How much alimony will I pay or receive?
20-40% of income gap typical. AAML formula: (30% × payer gross) − (20% × recipient gross), capped at 40% of combined gross. Example: payer earns $150K, recipient $30K: alimony = ($45K) − ($6K) = $39K/year ($3,250/month). Recipient total ($30K + $39K = $69K) is 38% of combined $180K — under 40% cap. State-specific variations apply — MA, TX, IL have different formulas.
How long does alimony last?
Short marriages (<5 years): typically no alimony OR 1-2 years rehabilitative. Mid (5-15 years): typically half the marriage length (rehabilitative or durational). Long (20+ years): indefinite or permanent in some states (NJ eliminated permanent label 2014, but durations can still be lengthy). MA formula: 50% of marriage length for 0-5 year marriages, scaling up. CA presumption: half the marriage length for marriages under 10 years.
Is alimony tax-deductible?
Federal: depends on date of divorce. Divorces executed AFTER December 31, 2018: alimony NOT deductible for payer, NOT taxable for recipient (TCJA change, permanent). Pre-2019 divorces: retained old rules (deductible/taxable) unless modified + expressly adopting new rules. California state tax: SB 711 created a state-level deduction for post-2019 agreements — mismatch with federal. Check with tax professional — complex transition rules.
Can I stop paying alimony if my ex remarries?
Usually YES — remarriage is automatic termination of alimony in most states. File motion to terminate as soon as remarriage occurs — don't unilaterally stop (could be contempt). Some states also terminate or reduce for cohabitation (living with new partner as if married) — tests vary: shared residence + financial interdependence + public hold-out as couple. CA + NJ have robust cohabitation reduction statutes.
Can alimony be modified after divorce?
YES — upon 'substantial change in circumstances'. Common grounds: (1) job loss / income reduction, (2) income increase, (3) disability / health change, (4) payer retirement at normal retirement age, (5) recipient cohabitation, (6) recipient remarriage. File motion to modify in court that issued original order. NOT retroactive — alimony owed at current rate until court modifies. File promptly on change.
What's the difference between rehabilitative and permanent alimony?
Rehabilitative: short-term support (1-5 years typical) to enable lower-earning spouse to gain education, skills, or re-enter workforce. Common for short marriages + able-bodied recipients. Durational: fixed period, typically longer (5-10 years), tied to marriage length. Permanent: long marriages or disability/age — continues until death, remarriage, or retirement. Most states have eliminated 'permanent' label post-2014 but long-duration durational alimony still common.
Does my ex-spouse's fault affect alimony?
Most states — NO (no-fault divorce). Marital misconduct (affair, DV) irrelevant to alimony amount. Exceptions — fault matters: North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, a few others. In fault-states: proven infidelity can increase support to innocent spouse or reduce to guilty spouse. DV victims in CA get mandatory enhancement under Family Code §4320(i). Consult state-specific attorney.
Is lump-sum alimony possible instead of monthly payments?
YES — 'alimony in gross' or 'lump-sum alimony'. Calculated as present value of stream of payments. Non-modifiable once paid (no future reductions possible). Advantages: financial independence, no ongoing payor-recipient relationship. Disadvantages: tax treatment varies (may be treated as property settlement, may not); recipient can't claim hardship modification. Consult tax + divorce attorney — structure matters enormously.
Is there an alimony formula in your state?
Usually not — and that is the single most misunderstood fact about spousal support. Only 8 of 51 jurisdictions bind their courts to an actual formula; in 38 the amount is up to the judge, guided by statutory factors. Where a formula or hard cap exists, it is quoted below with the statute it comes from. Rows marked “temporary only” apply while the divorce is pending, not after.
| State | Amount rule | The formula / cap | Duration | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | Rehabilitative alimony: limited duration not to exceed 5 years absent extraordinary circumstances, aimed at enabling the recipient to acquire the ability to preserve the marital economic status quo. Periodic alimony: eligibility period not to exceed the length of the marriage (measured to the date of filing of the divorce complaint), UNLESS the marriage lasted 20 years or longer, in which case there is no statutory time limit — subject to a court finding that deviation from these time limits is equitably required. | Ala. Code § 30-2-57(b)(1), (g) (enacted by Act 2017-162, eff. Jan. 1, 2018) |
| Alaska | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Alaska Stat. § 25.24.160(a)(2) |
| Arizona | Binding formula | A.R.S. §25-319(B), amended eff. 9/24/2022, directs the Arizona Supreme Court to establish Spousal Maintenance Guidelines; 'The amount of spousal maintenance resulting from the application of the guidelines shall be the amount of spousal maintenance ordered by the court, unless the court finds in writing that applying the guidelines would be inappropriate or unjust' — a rebuttable statutory presumption. The guideline AMOUNT itself is produced by the official Spousal Maintenance Calculator (self-sufficiency-based, using U.S. BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey per-capita data), not a simple hand percentage; deviating from the resulting amount range requires written findings addressing the guideline's factor list. | Per the Arizona Spousal Maintenance Guidelines (Ariz. Sup. Ct. Admin. Order 2023-119, amended AO 2025-101 eff. 9/1/2025), duration RANGES apply by marriage length (months from marriage date to service of the dissolution/legal-separation petition), and the statute does not authorize deviation from these ranges: <24 mo → 3-12 mo; 24-<60 mo → 6-36 mo; 60-<120 mo → 6-48 mo; 120-<192 mo → 12-60 mo; ≥192 mo → 12 months up to 144 months (12 years) or 50% of the marriage length, subject to the 'Rule of 65' (if the party seeking maintenance is ≥42 years old, the marriage is ≥192 months, and that party's age plus marriage-length-in-years is ≥65, the duration is fully discretionary/case-by-case with no fixed range). | A.R.S. § 25-319(B) (2022 Ariz. Sess. Laws ch. 331, §11, eff. 9/24/2022); Arizona Spousal Maintenance Guidelines, Ariz. Sup. Ct. Admin. Order No. 2025-101, eff. 9/1/2025 (superseding AO 2023-119) |
| Arkansas | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Ark. Code Ann. § 9-12-312(a)(1) (decree alimony); § 9-12-309(a) (temporary/pendente lite alimony) |
| California | Advisory guidelinetemporary only | Temporary support only: courts use county guideline calculators (e.g. the Santa Clara guideline); post-divorce support is discretionary under Fam. Code § 4320 | For POST-DIVORCE support (Fam. Code §4320(l), a separate regime from the temporary formula): 'the goal that the supported party shall be self-supporting within a reasonable period of time. Except in the case of a marriage of long duration as described in Section 4336, a "reasonable period of time" for purposes of this section generally shall be one-half the length of the marriage.' This is a soft guideline, not a hard cap — the court retains full discretion to order more or less. For marriages of 'long duration' (presumptively ≥10 years under Fam. Code §4336), there is no automatic termination date and the court retains jurisdiction indefinitely. | Cal. Fam. Code §§ 3600, 4320(l), 4336 |
| Colorado | Advisory guideline | If marriage duration ≥3 years and combined annual adjusted gross income ≤$240,000: guideline amount = 40% of the parties' combined monthly adjusted gross income minus the lower-income party's monthly adjusted gross income (floored at $0 if negative). If the award is NOT taxable to the recipient/deductible by the payor, the guideline amount is instead 80% of that figure when combined monthly income ≤$10,000, or 75% when combined monthly income is $10,001-$20,000 (no reduction specified above $20,000/mo in the statute's percentage brackets). Above $240,000 combined annual income, this amount methodology does not apply and the court instead uses the general factors list (C.R.S. §14-10-114(3.5)). | Guideline term (in whole months) is read off a statutory table keyed to marriage duration (in whole months) via a rising percentage-of-marriage-length multiplier, e.g.: 36 mo marriage → 31.00% → 11 mo term; 90 mo → 40.00% → 36 mo term; 150 mo (12.5 yrs) and beyond → capped at 50.00% of marriage-months as the term. For marriages over 20 years (240 mo), the court may award a term of years or an indefinite term, but may not award less than the 20-year guideline term without specific findings supporting a reduced term. | C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b), (e) |
| Connecticut | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-82(a)–(c) (current through the 2026 Supplement, Public Acts through the 2025 session) |
| Delaware | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | Post-divorce alimony eligibility is capped at 50% of the length of the marriage; if the marriage lasted 20 years or longer, there is no time limit on eligibility. This is a hard statutory ceiling on how long a person may remain ELIGIBLE for alimony — the actual amount and the actual duration within that ceiling remain fully discretionary under the § 1512(c) factors. | 13 Del. C. § 1512(a), (c)–(d) |
| District of Columbia | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | D.C. Code § 16-913(a)–(d) |
| Florida | Binding formula | Durational alimony amount = the LESSER of (a) the obligee's established reasonable need, or (b) 35% of the difference between the parties' net incomes (Fla. Stat. § 61.08(8)(c)). Combined with a statute-wide backstop: the award may not leave the payor with significantly less net income than the recipient absent written findings of exceptional circumstances (§ 61.08(9)). | Marriage-length tiers (§ 61.08(5)): short-term = under 10 years; moderate-term = 10 to 20 years; long-term = 20 years or longer. Durational alimony term is capped at 50% of marriage length for a short-term marriage, 60% for moderate-term, and 75% for long-term (§ 61.08(8)(b)); no durational alimony may be awarded for marriages under 3 years; the term may be extended beyond the cap only on clear-and-convincing proof of exceptional circumstances. | Fla. Stat. § 61.08(5), (8)(a)–(c), (9) (as enacted by 2023 Fla. Laws ch. 2023-315 / SB 1416, effective July 1, 2023; current through the 2026 statutes) |
| Georgia | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | O.C.G.A. §§ 19-6-1(b)–(c), 19-6-5(a)–(b) |
| Hawaii | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | Support may be ordered for an indefinite period or until further order of the court. If the court instead sets a specific (term-limited) duration based wholly or partly on the time needed for the recipient to secure adequate training, education, or skills, the statute requires the term to be long enough to allow completion of that training/education PLUS additional time to secure employment — a fact-driven sizing rule, not a numeric formula. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 580-47(a) |
| Idaho | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Idaho Code § 32-705 |
| Illinois | Binding formula | Guideline maintenance amount = 33 1/3% of the payor's net annual income minus 25% of the payee's net annual income, capped so the payee's total (award plus own net income) does not exceed 40% of the combined net income of the parties. Applies only where the parties' combined GROSS income is under $500,000 and the payor has no support obligation from a prior relationship; if guideline maintenance plus child support would exceed 50% of the payor's net income, the court may switch to non-guideline maintenance instead. 750 ILCS 5/504(b-1)(1)(A). | Guideline duration = length of the marriage at filing, multiplied by a fixed statutory factor: <5yr=.20; 5-<6=.24; 6-<7=.28; 7-<8=.32; 8-<9=.36; 9-<10=.40; 10-<11=.44; 11-<12=.48; 12-<13=.52; 13-<14=.56; 14-<15=.60; 15-<16=.64; 16-<17=.68; 17-<18=.72; 18-<19=.76; 19-<20=.80. For marriages of 20+ years, the court in its discretion orders maintenance for a period equal to the marriage length or for an indefinite term. 750 ILCS 5/504(b-1)(1)(B). | 750 ILCS 5/504(b-1)(1) |
| Indiana | Judge's discretion | Rehabilitative maintenance is hard-capped at 3 years from the final decree (IC 31-15-7-2(3)); no dollar-amount cap or formula exists for any of the three maintenance categories. | Indiana authorizes maintenance ONLY in three narrow categories — there is no general/permanent maintenance power. (1) Incapacity maintenance: necessary during the period of incapacity, subject to further court order — no fixed duration cap. (2) Caregiver maintenance for the custodian of an incapacitated child: amount and period the court considers appropriate — no fixed cap. (3) Rehabilitative maintenance (for a spouse whose education/training/employment was interrupted by homemaking or child care): amount and period the court considers appropriate, but NOT TO EXCEED THREE (3) YEARS from the date of the final decree. IC 31-15-7-2(3). | Ind. Code § 31-15-7-2 |
| Iowa | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Iowa Code § 598.21A(1) |
| Kansas | Judge's discretion | 121 months (~10 years, 1 month) maximum per single maintenance award or reinstatement period, K.S.A. § 23-2904. | Hard statutory ceiling, but no formula for how much of it to award: a court may not award maintenance for a period exceeding 121 months (K.S.A. § 23-2904). If the decree reserves jurisdiction, the recipient may later move for reinstatement after the term expires, but no single reinstatement period may itself exceed 121 months either (so an initial award plus one reinstatement can theoretically reach 242 months). How much of the 121-month ceiling a court actually orders — and the dollar amount — is left entirely to the 'fair, just and equitable' discretion of K.S.A. § 23-2902(a); there is no statutory formula for either. | K.S.A. § 23-2902(a) (amount, no formula); K.S.A. § 23-2904 (121-month duration cap) |
| Kentucky | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | KRS § 403.200 |
| Louisiana | Hard cap only | Final periodic spousal support may not exceed one-third (1/3) of the paying spouse's (obligor's) net income — EXCEPT when the support is awarded following a divorce granted under Civil Code art. 103(4) (imprisonment for felony) or 103(5) (living separate due to abuse), or when the court finds a spouse or child was a victim of domestic abuse by the other spouse. In those excepted cases the 1/3 cap does not apply and the award may exceed it, including as a lump sum. | — | La. Civ. Code art. 112 (current codification) |
| Maine | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | Rebuttable statutory presumptions tied to marriage length (measured to date of filing): marriages under 10 years — presumption AGAINST awarding general support at all; marriages of at least 10 but not more than 20 years — presumption CAPPING general support at no longer than 1/2 the length of the marriage; marriages over 20 years — no statutory presumption applies (court has full discretion, indefinite duration possible). Either presumption is rebutted if the court finds applying it would be 'inequitable or unjust.' | 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A(2)(A) (duration presumptions); § 951-A(5) (amount factors) |
| Maryland | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Md. Code Ann., Fam. Law § 11-106 |
| Massachusetts | Binding formula | Except for reimbursement alimony or deviation circumstances, general term alimony should generally not exceed the LESSER of (a) the recipient's demonstrated need, or (b) 30-35% of the difference between the parties' gross incomes as established at the time of the order. Income is defined per the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines, but EXCLUDES: (1) capital gains/dividend/interest income derived from assets already equitably divided under c.208 §34, and (2) gross income already counted for a child support order. Deviation from this amount range is allowed only on written findings of specific statutory grounds (advanced age/illness, tax considerations, health/life insurance costs, unallocated premarital cohabitation, abuse, deficiency of property/employment opportunity, etc.). | Statutory durational multiplier table (only for marriages of 20 years or less; court may deviate only on written findings): marriage ≤5 years — alimony continues no longer than 1/2 the number of months of the marriage; >5 and ≤10 years — no longer than 60% of the marriage's months; >10 and ≤15 years — no longer than 70% of the marriage's months; >15 and ≤20 years — no longer than 80% of the marriage's months. Marriages longer than 20 years: court may order alimony for an indefinite length of time (no statutory cap). Independently, general term alimony always terminates upon the payor reaching full Social Security retirement age (subject to narrow deviation), and upon the recipient's remarriage, the payor's death, or (after 3 months) the recipient's cohabitation in a shared household. | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 208, § 53(b) (amount formula) and § 49(b)-(c), (f) (durational limits and retirement-age termination) — Alimony Reform Act of 2011, current as codified |
| Michigan | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Mich. Comp. Laws § 552.23(1) |
| Minnesota | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | Since a major reform effective August 1, 2024: rebuttable statutory presumptions based on marriage length (measured from date of marriage to date the dissolution action commences) — under 5 years: presumed NO maintenance; 5 to under 20 years: presumed 'transitional' maintenance for no longer than 1/2 the length of the marriage (if the Subd. 1 threshold factors support an award at all); 20 years or more: presumed 'indefinite' maintenance (again only if Subd. 1 factors support an award). All three presumptions are rebuttable. Maintenance orders issued before August 1, 2024 retain their old 'temporary'/'permanent' labels, now treated as 'transitional'/'indefinite' respectively. | Minn. Stat. § 518.552, subd. 2 (amount factors, 8 criteria) and subd. 3 (duration presumptions, as amended by 2024 c 101 art 2 §§ 1-8, eff. 8/1/2024) |
| Mississippi | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Miss. Code Ann. § 93-5-23 (2024) |
| Missouri | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 452.335 |
| Montana | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Mont. Code Ann. § 40-4-203 |
| Nebraska | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 42-365 |
| Nevada | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 125.150 |
| New Hampshire | Binding formula | Amount of a term alimony order = the LESSER of (a) the payee's reasonable need, or (b) 23% of the difference between the parties' gross incomes at the time the order is created (payor's gross income minus payee's gross income), unless the court finds justice requires an adjustment. Gross income (as defined in RSA 458:19, V) is first reduced by amounts actually paid for child support/alimony and health-insurance or other specified expenses for the other party; the payee's income is then increased by any child support received for the parties' joint children. The 23% figure applies because alimony is currently non-deductible to the payor / non-taxable to the payee under federal law; the statute specifies the formula reverts to 30% of the income difference if federal tax law again makes alimony deductible/taxable. | Maximum duration of term alimony = 50% of the length of the marriage, unless the parties agree otherwise or the court finds that justice requires an adjustment (burden of proof on the party seeking the adjustment); the court may use a different start/end date for the marriage if justice requires. Term alimony automatically terminates on the payee's remarriage unless the parties' agreement provides otherwise. | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. (RSA) § 458:19-a, II–III (added 2018, 310:2, eff. Jan. 1, 2019; amended 2021, 113:1-3, eff. July 9, 2021) |
| New Jersey | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | For marriages under 20 years: total alimony duration shall not, except in 'exceptional circumstances' (8 enumerated factors: ages at marriage/award, degree/duration of dependency, chronic illness, career sacrifice for spouse, disproportionate share of equitable distribution, impact on ability to become self-supporting incl. child caretaking, tax considerations, other equitable factors), exceed the length of the marriage. For marriages of 20+ years: open durational alimony (no fixed end date) may be awarded. Separately, a rebuttable presumption exists that alimony terminates when the obligor reaches full retirement age, overcome only by good-cause factors (field-specific retirement norms, retirement motive, ability to pay post-retirement, obligee's financial independence and ability to have saved for retirement, etc.). | N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23(b) (14 amount factors), (c) (duration limit for marriages under 20 years, 'exceptional circumstances' exceptions), (j) (rebuttable retirement presumption) — as amended by the 2014 Alimony Reform Act, P.L. 2014, c. 42 |
| New Mexico | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | No statutory duration formula or schedule. Court chooses among rehabilitative support (tied to a stated rehabilitation plan), transitional support (fixed, court-stated term), indefinite-duration support, or lump-sum support, based on discretionary weighing of the § 40-4-7(E) factors. For marriages of 20 years or more, the court retains continuing jurisdiction over periodic spousal support unless the decree specifically forecloses any award. | NMSA 1978 § 40-4-7(B) (types of spousal support), (E) (10 factors), (F) (20-year continuing-jurisdiction rule) |
| New York | Binding formula | Payor = higher-earning spouse; payee = lower-earning spouse. Guideline amount = lesser of two calculations: (1) if payor will also pay child support as the non-custodial parent: [20% of payor income − 25% of payee income]; if not (or payor is custodial parent): [30% of payor income − 20% of payee income]; (2) in both cases: [40% of (payor income + payee income)] − payee income. Formula applies to payor income up to the statutory income cap; result floored at $0 and further capped so payor's post-award income doesn't fall below the self-support reserve (rebuttable presumption of $0 maintenance if payor is below the reserve). Above the income cap, additional maintenance on the excess income is discretionary, based on enumerated factors (age/health, earning capacity, standard of living, length of marriage, tax consequences, etc.), with written findings required. | Advisory guideline duration schedule by length of marriage (marriage date to date the action commenced): 0–15 years = 15%–30% of marriage length as maintenance duration; more than 15–20 years = 30%–40%; more than 20 years = 35%–50%. Court may deviate from the guideline duration with written or on-the-record findings, using the same factor list used to justify deviation from the guideline amount. (advisory: the court MAY use these ranges — no written-findings requirement) | N.Y. Domestic Relations Law § 236(B)(6) (post-divorce maintenance guidelines, Maintenance Guidelines Act, eff. Jan. 23, 2016) — distinct from the temporary/pendente-lite maintenance formula at DRL § 236(B)(5-a) |
| North Carolina | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50-16.3A(a)-(b) |
| North Dakota | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | Except upon written court findings that a deviation beyond these time limits is necessary, spousal support duration is presumptively capped as a percentage of the number of months of the length of the marriage: less than 5 years = up to 50%; 5–10 years = up to 60%; 10–15 years = up to 70%; 15–20 years = up to 80%; 20 years or more = duration agreed upon by the parties or as determined by the court (no percentage cap). Permanent spousal support may not be awarded. | N.D.C.C. § 14-05-24.1(3) (8 factors governing amount), § 14-05-24.1(5) (duration percentage schedule) — distinct from temporary/pendente-lite support under § 14-05-23, which has no such schedule |
| Ohio | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Ohio Rev. Code § 3105.18(B)-(C)(1)(a)-(n) |
| Oklahoma | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Okla. Stat. tit. 43, §§ 121(B), 134 (current through 2025 session); temporary/pendente lite support under § 110 |
| Oregon | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Or. Rev. Stat. § 107.105(1)(d) (2023); temporary support under ORS § 107.095(1)(a) |
| Pennsylvania | Binding formulatemporary only | Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.16-4(a), Part B (no dependent children) / Part IV (with dependent children) — governs PRE-DECREE 'spousal support' and 'alimony pendente lite' (APL) only: without dependent children, preliminary obligation = (obligor's net monthly income x 33%) minus (obligee's net monthly income x 40%); with dependent children, = (obligor's net income x 25%) minus (obligee's net income x 30%), computed after the basic child support obligation is subtracted. Subject to Part E adjustments (Rule 1910.16-6) and deviation under Rule 1910.16-5. (Rule 1910.16-4(a) contains two parallel methodologies; percentages shown are the with-children track) | — | 231 Pa. Code (Pa.R.Civ.P.) § 1910.16-4(a) (spousal support / APL guideline formula, pre-decree only) — CONTRAST with 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3701(b)-(c) (post-divorce alimony, fully discretionary, no formula) |
| Rhode Island | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | R.I. Gen. Laws § 15-5-16(b) (current through 2025); temporary support under § 15-5-19 |
| South Carolina | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | S.C. Code Ann. § 20-3-130(A)-(C) (current through 2025 session) |
| South Dakota | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | S.D. Codified Laws § 25-4-41 (current through 2024 codification) |
| Tennessee | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | No mathematical duration formula. Four types: rehabilitative alimony (time-limited, to reach earning capacity comparable to marital standard of living); alimony in futuro (periodic, until death or remarriage of recipient — used only when rehabilitation is not feasible); transitional alimony (fixed term, for a spouse who needs short-term adjustment help but not rehabilitation); alimony in solido (fixed lump/total sum, generally non-modifiable except by agreement). Statute states explicit legislative preference for rehabilitative and transitional (time-limited) alimony over long-term alimony in futuro whenever economic rehabilitation is feasible. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-5-121 |
| Texas | Hard cap only | Maintenance may not exceed the lesser of $5,000 per month or 20% of the paying spouse's average monthly gross income (Tex. Fam. Code § 8.055(a)). This dollar/percentage ceiling was set by 2011 amendment (Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., H.B. 901, § 4, eff. Sept. 1, 2011), raising it from the prior $2,500/20% cap. | Duration capped by marriage length under § 8.054: 10–<20 yrs → maintenance may not continue more than 5 years after the order; 20–<30 yrs → not more than 7 years; 30+ yrs → not more than 10 years. Courts must limit duration to the shortest reasonable period unless the recipient's ability to earn sufficient income is substantially or totally diminished due to a physical or mental disability, duty as custodian of an infant/young child requiring substantial care, or another compelling impediment — in which case indefinite maintenance with periodic review is possible (linked to eligibility under § 8.051(2)(A)/(C)). | Tex. Fam. Code §§ 8.054–8.055 (current version; amount cap set by 2011 amendment, in force since Sept. 1, 2011) |
| Utah | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | Except where the court finds extenuating circumstances or good cause (found at any time before termination), alimony may not be ordered for a period longer than the length of the marriage (Utah Code § 81-4-502(7)). Time a party pays temporary alimony during the pendency of the divorce counts toward this duration cap. This is a real statutory ratio rule (duration ≤ marriage length) even though the AMOUNT itself remains fully discretionary. | Utah Code § 81-4-502 (current as of Jan. 1, 2025; recodified from former Utah Code § 30-3-5 as part of the 2024/2025 Domestic Relations Code recodification, S.B. 119 (2025)) |
| Vermont | Advisory guideline | Non-binding statutory guideline table at 15 V.S.A. § 752(b)(9), listed as one of nine non-exclusive factors: suggested support = X% of the difference between the parties' gross incomes, where X depends on marriage-length band — 0 to <5 yrs: 0-16%; 5 to <10 yrs: 12-29%; 10 to <15 yrs: 16-33%; 15 to <20 yrs: 20-37%; 20+ yrs: 24-41%. | Same guideline table (non-binding) suggests duration as a % of marriage length, by the same bands: 0 to <5 yrs → no alimony or short-term alimony up to 1 year; 5 to <10 yrs → 20-50% of marriage length (1-5 yrs); 10 to <15 yrs → 40-60% (4-9 yrs); 15 to <20 yrs → 40-70% (6-14 yrs); 20+ yrs → 45%+ (9-20+ yrs). No presumption attaches; the statute requires the award be 'in such amounts and for such periods of time as the court deems just, after considering all relevant factors, including' this guideline — courts have 'broad discretion' per case law and need not make findings to deviate. | 15 V.S.A. § 752(b)(9) (as amended through 2019, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 300) |
| Virginia | Binding formulatemporary only | Presumptive pendente lite (temporary, pre-final-decree) spousal support = difference between (a) 26% of payor spouse's monthly gross income and 58% of payee spouse's monthly gross income, if the parties have minor children in common; or (b) 27% of payor's monthly gross income and 50% of payee's monthly gross income, if no minor children in common. Rebuttable presumption — court may deviate for good cause shown (e.g. current financial circumstances, tax-exemption impact). Applies identically in both Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court (§ 16.1-278.17:1) and Circuit Court (§ 20-103(E)-(J)). | No formula for the general award: court decrees periodic payments for a defined duration, periodic payments for an undefined duration, a lump sum, or any combination, 'in its discretion' (§ 20-107.1(C)), based on 13 non-exclusive factors (obligations/needs/resources, standard of living, marriage duration, earning capacity/education, contributions, fault where relevant, etc., § 20-107.1(E)). Contested cases require written findings identifying which factors supported the ruling (§ 20-107.1(F)). One partial exception: if the court reserves a party's right to receive support in the future rather than deciding it now, there IS a rebuttable statutory presumption that the reservation period equals 50% of the time between the date of marriage and the date of separation (§ 20-107.1(D)) — a real duration formula, but only for this specific 'reservation of support' mechanism, not for ordinary awards. | Va. Code § 20-107.1; temporary: Va. Code § 16.1-278.17:1 (2007, c. 909; amended 2020, c. 651) and Va. Code § 20-103(E)-(J) (parallel circuit-court version) |
| Washington | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | RCW 26.09.090 |
| West Virginia | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | W. Va. Code § 48-6-301 |
| Wisconsin | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Wis. Stat. § 767.56 |
| Wyoming | Judge's discretion | No formula — statutory factors | — | Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-114 |
Method. Each row cites the current statute (checked against post-2019 amendments — several states rewrote their formulas after the federal tax reform). “Advisory guideline” means a published formula courts may consult but need not follow. Statutes change; the linked authority controls if this table ever disagrees with it. Legal information, not legal advice.