Alimony · ME
Maine alimony and spousal support calculator
Maine sets no amount for spousal support but writes two presumptions about general support into the statute, both tied to the length of the marriage.
Rules read on official Maine pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Income counted
- Gross income
- $8,000 vs $3,000 a month
- No formula
- a month under the rule
- 12-year marriage
- 6 years
- Rules read on
- October 8, 2026
Maine has no formula for the amount of spousal support. What 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A does fix is the length of general support, through two rebuttable presumptions measured on the date the divorce is filed. If the spouses were married for less than 10 years, general support is presumed not to be awarded at all. If they were married at least 10 but not more than 20 years, it is presumed not to last more than 50% of the length of the marriage: 90 months after 15 years. After more than 20 years there is no presumption. A court that finds the presumed result inequitable or unjust can set it aside by saying so. The presumptions cover only general support; transitional, reimbursement, nominal and interim support follow their own purposes. Our calculator therefore returns no monthly amount for Maine and reports the presumed maximum term, which the judge weighs with the factors of § 951-A(5).
Estimated spousal support in Maine, per month
$0
Duration: up to 6 years
| Length of marriage at filing | 12 years |
| Presumption for general support | presumption: general support term <= 1/2 the marriage |
Maine has no formula for the amount of spousal support; the court weighs the factors of § 951-A(5).
These are rebuttable presumptions: a finding that they would be inequitable or unjust is enough to set them aside.
Transitional, reimbursement, nominal and interim support are not subject to these presumptions.
Estimate under the Maine formula as published; eligibility, the judge's findings and an agreement between spouses decide the real order. How this is calculated.
Five kinds of support, one with limits
Maine's statute names its tools precisely. General support helps a spouse with substantially less income potential so that both can keep a reasonable standard of living. Transitional support covers short-term dislocation or a return to work, including training and rehabilitation. Reimbursement support answers exceptional circumstances such as economic misconduct, economic abuse, or substantial contributions to the other spouse's education or career, and only when the property division cannot fix them. Nominal support keeps the court's power to award support later without paying anything meaningful now. Interim support covers the pendency of the case. The duration presumptions apply to the first only, which is why a short marriage can still lead to transitional support.
The 10-year and 20-year marks
The two presumptions turn on the marriage length at filing. Nine years: general support presumed unavailable (0 months in our calculator). Fifteen years: presumed to last at most 90 months. Exactly 20 years still falls in the half-length band, capping the presumed term at 120 months; one more year and the statute is silent. Because they are rebuttable, a single finding by the court that the presumed result would be inequitable or unjust is enough to depart from them, and parties often argue exactly that for a spouse who left the workforce for the children.
What the order must say
Section 951-A requires every order to state the type of support, the method of payment, the term and any limits, whether the support can be modified later, and, in a contested case, the factors the court relied on. Limits can cap future increases or decreases, the term, or tie support to the recipient's remarriage or cohabitation. Awards issued since October 1, 2013 can be modified on a substantial change in circumstances unless the order says otherwise. There is no amount guideline to compute, so the calculator stops at the term.
The Maine rule this calculator applies
Scope. Spousal support under 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A (general, transitional, reimbursement, nominal and interim support). No amount formula.
Amount. No amount formula; the court considers the factors in § 951-A(5).
Duration. 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A(2)(A)(1): rebuttable presumption that general support may not be awarded if married less than 10 years at filing, and may not exceed one-half the length of the marriage if married at least 10 but not more than 20 years. A finding that the presumed result is inequitable or unjust rebuts the presumption.
Eligibility. General support helps a spouse with substantially less income potential so both can keep a reasonable standard of living; transitional support covers short-term needs or work-force reentry; reimbursement support answers exceptional circumstances (economic misconduct or abuse, contributions to the other's education or career); interim support covers the pendency of the case (§ 951-A(2)).