Alimony · CA
California alimony and spousal support calculator
California has no statewide alimony formula; temporary support follows county guidelines, permanent support follows the Family Code factors.
Rules read on official California pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Income counted
- Net income
- $8,000 vs $3,000 a month
- $1,700
- a month under the rule
- 12-year marriage
- Judge decides
- Rules read on
- October 8, 2026
California spousal support comes in two kinds that are set in different ways. Temporary support, ordered while the divorce is pending, is usually calculated with a county guideline built into the certified support software; the best known is Santa Clara County's Local Family Rule 3(C): 40% of the payer's net income minus 50% of the payee's net income, adjusted for taxes, computed on income left after child support. With $8,200 and $2,600 of monthly net income and no children, that gives about $1,980 a month before the tax adjustment. Permanent support, in the judgment, has no formula: the judge weighs the factors of Family Code § 4320. Its usual goal is self-support within a reasonable period, generally 50% of the length of the marriage, so 3.5 years after a 7-year marriage. A marriage of 10 years or more is presumed to be of long duration, and the court keeps jurisdiction over support indefinitely (§ 4336).
Estimated spousal support in California, per month
$1,700
Duration: set by the judge
| Payer’s net income after child support | $8,000 |
| 40% of that income | $3,200 |
| 50% of the payee’s net income | $1,500 |
| Temporary spousal support (difference) | $1,700 |
California has no statewide formula: this is the Santa Clara County temporary support guideline, used while the case is pending, not for the final judgment.
The court software adjusts the result for taxes; the figure here is before that adjustment.
A marriage of 10 years or more is presumed long: the court keeps jurisdiction over support indefinitely (§ 4336).
Estimate under the California formula as published; eligibility, the judge's findings and an agreement between spouses decide the real order. How this is calculated.
Why the permanent order cannot use the temporary formula
The Santa Clara rule itself keeps the two worlds apart. Rule 3(B) asks for a computer printout when temporary support is at issue, but expressly not for permanent support, which rests on the § 4320 analysis instead. That analysis looks at whether each spouse's earning capacity can maintain the marital standard of living, contributions to the other's education or career, ability to pay, needs, assets, the age and health of both, documented domestic violence, tax consequences and the balance of hardships.
The Santa Clara arithmetic
The local rule reads: 40% of the payor's net income, minus 50% of the payee's, adjusted for tax consequences. In practice the adjustment is made inside support software that converts gross pay to net and accounts for the tax effect of the payments; we show the plain percentage result, which is why a court printout can differ. When there is child support, the rule applies the formula to net income not allocated to it. In our example, child support of $1,500 reduces the payer's base to $6,700 and temporary spousal support to $1,380, against $1,980 without children. The court still departs from the formula when it would be inequitable or when the payee's demonstrated need is lower. Other counties use the same software with their own settings; check the local rules of the county where the case is filed.
Half the marriage, until ten years
Section 4320(l) sets the goal that the supported spouse become self-supporting within a reasonable period, and for marriages that are not long, that period is generally 50% of the marriage: 42 months after seven years. At 10 years, measured from the wedding to separation, the presumption of a long marriage under § 4336 removes that benchmark; for a 14-year marriage the calculator reports no fixed end (open term). The court can still terminate support later on changed circumstances, and the presumption can be rebutted.
The California rule this calculator applies
Scope. No statewide formula. Permanent (judgment) spousal support is set on the Fam. Code § 4320 factors. Temporary support uses county local formulas; Santa Clara County's is the best known and is used in the Judicial Council-approved support software.
Amount. Santa Clara County Superior Court Local Family Rule 3(C) (effective 1/1/2011): temporary spousal or partner support is generally 40% of the payor's net income minus 50% of the payee's net income, adjusted for tax consequences; if there is child support, it is computed on net income not allocated to child support and child-related expenses. The court uses the formula at temporary hearings unless it would be inequitable or the demonstrated need is below the formula amount (Appendix, Discretionary Policy Statements, A.3). Not used for permanent support (Rule 3(B)).
Duration. Fam. Code § 4320(l): goal that the supported party be self-supporting within a reasonable period, which generally is one-half the length of the marriage, except for a marriage of long duration. § 4336(b): rebuttable presumption that a marriage of 10 years or more (marriage to separation) is of long duration; the court then retains jurisdiction indefinitely (§ 4336(a)).
Eligibility. Fam. Code § 4320 lists the circumstances the court must consider for permanent support: earning capacity vs. marital standard of living, contributions to the other's education or career, ability to pay, needs, assets, duration, employability with children, age and health, documented domestic violence, tax consequences, hardships, the self-support goal, criminal conviction of an abusive spouse, and other just factors.
Worth knowing in California
- A marriage of 10 years or more is presumed to be of long duration, and the court keeps jurisdiction over spousal support indefinitely (Fam. Code § 4336). source
- Documented domestic violence between the parties, including a nolo contendere plea or a protective order, is a factor in setting spousal support (Fam. Code § 4320(i)). source
- In Santa Clara County a computer support printout must be filed when child or temporary spousal support is at issue, but not for permanent support (Local Family Rule 3(B)). source