Alimony & Spousal Support Calculator
Estimate spousal support duration and monthly payment amount after divorce.
Built for general U.S. informational use. Local rules, court practices, and case facts can change the result.
Alimony & Spousal Support Calculator
Fill in the fields below to get your estimate
Understanding Spousal Support
Alimony is financial support paid by one ex-spouse to the other. Its purpose is to mitigate the unfair economic effects of a divorce by providing continuing income to a non-wage-earning or lower-wage-earning spouse.
Amount = 30% of Difference between Higher and Lower Income
Note: Under federal law (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017), for divorces finalized after Dec 31, 2018, alimony is no longer tax-deductible for the payer, nor is it taxable income for the recipient.
Unlike child support, judges have enormous discretion when awarding alimony. This calculator uses a generic formula (30% difference in income) to provide a rough ballpark figure. This is not legal advice. Speak with a family law attorney.
How this estimate works
The alimony estimate models a rough support range from income difference, marriage length, and basic duration assumptions. Spousal support is more discretionary than many calculator topics, so the result should frame a discussion rather than predict an order.
Inputs this page weighs
- Monthly income for each spouse.
- Length of the marriage.
- Any expected support duration or local benchmark.
- Facts affecting need, ability to pay, or earning capacity.
How to verify the result
Review local statutory factors, tax treatment, earning-capacity evidence, and any temporary-support rules before relying on the number.
How to use this Alimony & Spousal Support Calculator well
Best used when
- Getting a rough support-range conversation started after a large income gap.
- Comparing several income or duration scenarios before mediation or counsel review.
- Understanding how support discussions can differ from child-support math.
Be careful if
- Alimony is often much more discretionary than other family-law calculations.
- Marriage length, standard of living, and earning capacity can outweigh a simple formula.
- Tax treatment and local statutory factors may change the real result materially.
Questions to answer next
- How long was the marriage and what lifestyle was supported during it?
- Is either spouse underemployed, retraining, or caring for children full-time?
- What local statutory factors does your court weigh beyond income difference alone?
Before you use a family law calculator
What to gather first
- Recent pay stubs, tax returns, and proof of recurring income or bonuses.
- Health insurance costs, childcare costs, and any existing court orders.
- A realistic parenting schedule or overnight calendar if custody affects the estimate.
Why results may change
- State guidelines may use different income definitions, deductions, or formula tables.
- Judges can depart from the standard worksheet when a strict formula would be unfair.
- Support and property estimates often change once full financial disclosures are exchanged.
Best next step
- Save your estimate and compare it with your actual monthly documents.
- Make a list of expenses that are easy to miss, such as healthcare, childcare, and debts.
- Verify the result with a state-specific worksheet, mediator, or family law attorney.