Free spousal support estimator

California Alimony Calculator

Use the calculator below — a free California spousal support calculator built for spouses planning a California divorce. Add your marriage length and both spouses’ gross incomes, and this divorce alimony calculator returns an estimated monthly payment and how long payments may last under California guidelines, with the arithmetic shown step by step. No account, no paywall, and nothing is stored on our servers after your estimate is returned.

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Estimate your monthly alimony

Enter a few details to see an illustrative estimate. No personal information is stored or shared.

Your results

Illustrative estimate only.

Estimated monthly payment

$0/ month

Enter your details above to see your estimate.

How long payments last

—

Enter your details to see the estimated term

Not applicable

One-time payout option (buyout)

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Total if paid monthly: —

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Monthly take-home income (after alimony & est. taxes)

Payer keeps—

Recipient has—

How marriage length changes the term (±1 year)

1 year shorter marriage:—

1 year longer marriage:—

Plain-English summary by role

If you are paying alimony (higher earner)

Enter incomes and marriage length above to see a plain-English summary of what you would pay, keep, and owe after taxes.

If you are receiving alimony (lower earner)

Enter incomes and marriage length above to see a plain-English summary of what you would receive, keep, and plan for.

Show step-by-step math & state law breakdown

Calculation notes

Enter your details above to see exactly which statutory formula or guideline was used for your state.

Based on

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Illustrative estimate only

Tax note: Per the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), alimony payments for divorces finalized after Dec 31, 2018, are no longer tax-deductible for the payer or taxable for the recipient.

Actual alimony awards vary by state, judge, and individual circumstances. Use this estimate as a starting point, not a final answer.

Family law methodology

How is Alimony Calculated in California?

Alimony — also called spousal support or maintenance — is the payment one spouse makes to the other after divorce to close the gap between two households. California does not follow a single American rule: it sets its own standard under Cal. Fam. Code §§ 4320, 4336, and this page applies the state’s guideline approach rather than a national average.

In California, spousal support is decided under a guideline standard — not a one-size-fits-all national formula. Judges begin from a worksheet and a normal starting range instead of a blank page, so similar incomes and a similar-length marriage usually land in a predictable band. That is exactly what the estimator on this page encodes, and it is why two states can return very different answers to the same income and marriage facts.

Court guidelineCal. Fam. Code §§ 4320, 4336

California applies a strict mathematical guideline.

California has no statutory amount formula for alimony. Family Code § 4320 lists fourteen mandatory factors — including the standard of living during the marriage, the duration of the marriage, each spouse’s age, health, earning capacity, and contributions to the other’s career — that courts weigh to set a need-based award. For marriages under 10 years the well-known guideline is that the term equals half the length of the marriage.

Because California uses a formula, this calculator returns a precise point estimate or statutory band rather than a judgment call. The exact arithmetic is shown in the step-by-step math drawer of the calculator above.

Duration: For marriages under 10 years the customary term is one-half the length of the marriage; for marriages of 10 years or more the court retains jurisdiction under Fam. Code § 4336 and sets the term under the § 4320 factors.

What courts weigh

One factor shapes the rest: child support is worked out first in most states, so it changes how much income is left over for spousal support. That is why this child support and alimony calculator includes a children toggle — switch it on and the estimate drops in the states whose formula accounts for child support.

Standard of living

The lifestyle the couple established during the marriage.

Income & earning capacity

Each spouse's current earnings, employability, and future potential.

Length of the marriage

Longer marriages support larger and longer-lasting awards.

Age & health

Both spouses' physical condition and realistic work horizon.

Contributions

Career sacrifices, homemaking, and support for the other’s education.

Children & custody

Child support is calculated separately and often lowers the income available for alimony.

Property division

The marital estate awarded to each spouse at divorce.

Tax treatment

Post-2018 TCJA rules: alimony is neither deductible nor taxable.

Example calculation

A standard income-disparity scenario

A 12-year marriage where the payer earns $120,000 and the recipient earns $40,000, with no children — calculated with California’s actual rule:

Payer gross income$120,000 / yr

Recipient gross income$40,000 / yr

Length of marriage12 years

Children involvedNo

Estimated monthly payment$2,000 / month

Estimated durationIndefinite

How the number was derived

• The Law: California has no statutory amount formula — Fam. Code § 4320 requires a need-based analysis of fourteen factors (standard of living, duration of the marriage, age, health, earning capacity, and contributions to the other’s career). Practitioners operationalize it with the 40%-of-net guideline. • The Math: Net income is estimated at 75% of gross: payer $7,500/mo, recipient $2,500/mo. The award is 40% of the remaining net gap: 40% × $5,000 = $2,000/month. • Tax Impact: No TCJA adjustment or child-support modifier applies to this calculation. • Duration: Marriages of 10+ years are open-ended: the court retains jurisdiction under Fam. Code § 4336 and sets the term case by case, so the estimate is indefinite.

Settlement planning

Lump-Sum Alimony Buyouts & Post-Support Cash Flow in California

Most California support awards are agreed as a set of monthly payments — but the same money can be settled in one payment up front. That trade is called an alimony buyout: instead of writing a check every month for years, the payer hands over a single lump sum today, often by letting the recipient keep more of the house or more of a retirement account, so both spouses can move on cleanly. California’s own amount and duration rules (Cal. Fam. Code §§ 4320, 4336) set how much is paid each month and for how long, and that monthly stream is the thing being bought out.

Why is one payment today worth less than adding up every future check? Because money in hand now can sit in a safe account and earn interest over the same years those checks would have arrived. This alimony buyout calculator shows the same payment stream at 3.5%, 4.5% and 6.0% — the higher the rate, the smaller today’s lump sum, and the wider the gap between “paid monthly” and “paid up front”. Taking the deal up front means accepting a lump sum spousal support payment today instead of years of monthly checks.

In the 12-year, $120,000 payer / $40,000 recipient scenario used above, California produces an open-ended (indefinite) term with no fixed month count, so nothing can be discounted until the parties negotiate a custom cap.

After the estimated $2,000-per-month transfer, the payer keeps about $5,500 per month (55% of the combined post-transfer total) and the recipient has about $4,500 (45%). The question after support is the simple one: what does each household actually have left to live on? The take-home split shows both sides after estimated taxes and after the payment, and since 2019 alimony is neither taxable for the receiver nor deductible for the payer, every dollar moves across unchanged. Print the calculator above as a spousal support worksheet and the inputs, the step-by-step math and these settlement figures all come out together on one clean page.

Educational summary of California law as of 2026. Statutes change; this is not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state for advice about your situation.

For a 50-state overview of divorce and family law rules, see theCornell Legal Information Institute’s table on divorce.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about alimony in California

How long do you have to pay alimony in California?

Duration follows California’s own rule rather than a national standard: For marriages under 10 years the customary term is one-half the length of the marriage; for marriages of 10 years or more the court retains jurisdiction under Fam. Code § 4336 and sets the term under the § 4320 factors. Shorter marriages tend to produce short, rehabilitative terms designed to restore self-sufficiency, while longer marriages can support open-ended awards. The estimated duration shown with your result reflects that rule for the marriage length you enter.

What is the difference between alimony and child support?

Alimony supports a spouse; child support is calculated for the children and is neither deductible nor taxable to the recipient. In California they are usually ordered on separate tracks, and paying child support can reduce the income available for maintenance — which is why the calculator’s children toggle changes the estimate in states where the formula or guideline accounts for it.

Do I have to pay taxes on alimony received?

For divorces finalized after December 31, 2018, no — and your ex cannot deduct it either. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ended the old federal treatment: the payer gets no deduction and the recipient reports no taxable income. Pre-2019 orders that were never modified to reference the TCJA can still follow the old rules, and state income tax treatment can differ, so confirm California specifics with a tax professional.

Does cohabitation automatically terminate alimony in California?

Seldom, and never without a ruling. California courts generally allow either party to seek review when the recipient moves in with a new partner, on the theory that shared expenses reduce need. The court weighs whether the couple holds themselves out as partners, divides household costs, and receives support from the new partner — dating alone is not enough. Cohabitation with relatives or roommates rarely counts, and the payer must keep paying until the order is modified.

My spouse quit their job before filing for divorce — what happens in California?

A deliberate drop in income rarely resets support. California courts can impute earnings based on the job the spouse left, their work history, qualifications, and what the marriage’s standard of living required — and voluntary underemployment is weighed against the recipient’s actual need. Expect discovery into the departure: offer letters, severance terms, bank records, and, where the numbers warrant it, a forensic accountant. The safest move is documenting the change early rather than waiting for the first missed payment.

Can alimony be modified or reduced later on?

Yes — support orders are not carved in stone. Either spouse can petition the California family court for a modification on a substantial change in circumstances: an involuntary job loss or layoff, a forced retirement, long-term disability, or a durable change in either spouse’s income. A voluntary pay cut or going back to school usually is not enough, and you keep paying the current amount until the court rules.

Other States

Alimony rules vary by state. Compare estimates in any other state.