Alimony Calculator (2026)

How Alimony Works in the United States

There is no national alimony formula. Each state decides spousal support under its own law, and in most states there is no percentage formula at all: a judge weighs statutory factors such as each spouse’s need and ability to pay, the length of the marriage, the standard of living during the marriage, ages and health, and each spouse’s earning capacity. In every state, eligibility comes first — a spouse must show a qualifying need (and the other spouse the ability to pay) before any amount is discussed.

Only a minority of states set amounts by formula or guideline. Three of them are built into this calculator with their real rules:

• Massachusetts — a statutory range: 30–35% of the difference between the spouses’ gross incomes, capped at the recipient’s need, with a statutory duration schedule.
• Illinois — a statutory formula on net incomes: 33⅓% of the payor’s net minus 25% of the recipient’s net, with a 40% combined-income cap and a statutory duration scale.
• Arizona — since 2023, an official guideline whose amount comes from an expenditure-based calculator (not an income percentage), with duration ranges a court may not change.

For every other state this tool shows the unofficial AAML-style benchmark described below, plainly labelled as unofficial. One more state is worth knowing about: Virginia has a statutory percentage formula, but only for temporary (pendente lite) support while a case is pending — final Virginia awards are factors-based, so Virginia belongs with the general estimate here.

Massachusetts: 30–35 Percent of the Gross Income Difference

Under the Massachusetts Alimony Reform Act (G.L. c. 208, Section 53(b)), the amount of general term alimony should generally not exceed the recipient’s need or 30 to 35 percent of the difference between the parties’ gross incomes. The calculator shows that percentage range; a court then compares it with the recipient’s actual need and may award less. Courts can also deviate from the range with written findings (Section 53(e)).

Massachusetts duration limits (Section 49(b))

General term alimony also generally ends when the paying spouse reaches full retirement age, when the recipient remarries, or when either spouse dies, and it can be suspended, reduced or terminated if the recipient cohabits with a partner for at least three months.

Is there a $250,000 cap on Massachusetts alimony?

No — that figure is not in the alimony statute. Sections 53 and 49 contain no dollar cap at all. The $250,000 number was the child support guideline maximum before 2021 (it is $450,000 from December 1, 2025), and it leaked into alimony discussions because Section 53(c)(2) excludes, from an alimony calculation, gross income already considered in setting a child support order. Where both alimony and child support are in play, Massachusetts courts run the calculation both ways — alimony first and child support first — and compare the after-tax results (the approach required since Cavanagh v. Cavanagh, 490 Mass. 398 (2022)). This calculator does not model that interaction; if you have minor children, run our child support calculators too and expect the two orders to be set together.

Illinois: the Statutory Maintenance Formula

Illinois is one of the few states with a true statutory formula (750 ILCS 5/504(b-1)). It applies when the spouses’ combined gross income is under $500,000 and neither has a support obligation from a prior relationship; above that line, the court sets maintenance by factors instead.

The duration factor starts at 0.20 for marriages under 5 years and rises by 0.04 for each additional year — 0.24 at 5–6 years, 0.44 at 10–11 years, 0.64 at 15–16 years and 0.80 at 19–20 years. For marriages of 20 years or more, maintenance runs for a period equal to the length of the marriage, or indefinitely. Because the formula runs on net income, this calculator either estimates net from gross (2026 federal single-filer brackets, the $16,100 standard deduction, and FICA) or uses net incomes you enter directly — courts compute net under the statute’s own tax rules, so estimated results run as previews, not orders.

Arizona: an Expenditure-Based Guideline, Not a Percentage

Arizona became a guideline state recently: A.R.S. Section 25-319 directed the Arizona Supreme Court to issue Spousal Maintenance Guidelines, adopted in 2023 and revised effective September 1, 2025 (Administrative Order 2025-101). The amount is not a percentage of the income difference. The official calculator (at azcourts.gov) takes the family size and each spouse’s Spousal Maintenance Income, builds combined household expenditures from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey data, subtracts the receiving spouse’s pro-rata share, and produces an amount range; the court then picks within the range using the statutory factors and may leave the range (even to $0) only with written findings. Two documented anchors: if combined annual Spousal Maintenance Income is very low the official range can start at $0 (it always starts at $0 below $44,000 of combined income), and a high-income adjustment adds up to +70% at high family incomes, starting at $175,000 a year.

Because the expenditure tables behind that calculator cannot be reproduced faithfully here, this tool does not fake an Arizona amount. Instead it walks you through the guideline steps and computes the one part that is exact: the duration range, which courts may not deviate from.

The Rule of 65 applies only if all three are true when the petition is served: the receiving spouse is at least 42 years old, the marriage lasted at least 16 years, and the recipient’s age plus the years of marriage total at least 65. Before any of this, the requesting spouse must meet one of the eligibility grounds in Section 25-319(A) — for example lacking sufficient property or earning ability to meet reasonable needs — which no calculator can decide.

Other States: Factors, Not Formulas — and the Unofficial Benchmark

In the remaining states there is no formula to apply. Judges weigh factor lists that typically include the length of the marriage, each spouse’s income and earning capacity, age and health, contributions to the marriage (including homemaking and career sacrifices), the marital standard of living, and sometimes fault. Some states cap duration without fixing amounts — New Jersey, for example, generally limits alimony for marriages under 20 years to no longer than the marriage itself.

To give visitors in those states some starting number, calculator sites widely reproduce the AAML benchmark (an American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers guideline):

Treat that figure as a conversation starter only. A judge in a factors state can award more, less, or nothing, and short marriages in particular often produce small or no awards that no percentage benchmark predicts.

Worked Example: Massachusetts

Worked Example: Illinois (with the 40% cap)

Worked Example: General Estimate (Unofficial)

Frequently Asked Questions