Alimony · MA
Massachusetts alimony and spousal support calculator
The 2011 Alimony Reform Act gave Massachusetts a ceiling on the amount and a fixed scale for the length of general term alimony.
Rules read on official Massachusetts pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Income counted
- Gross income
- $8,000 vs $3,000 a month
- $1,500–$1,750
- a month under the rule
- 12-year marriage
- 100.8 months
- Rules read on
- October 8, 2026
In Massachusetts, general term alimony should generally not exceed the recipient's need or 30% to 35% of the difference between the spouses' gross incomes when the order is made, according to the Probate and Family Court's summary of the Alimony Reform Act (M.G.L. c. 208, § 53(b)). On $10,500 and $4,000 of monthly gross income, that ceiling runs from $1,950 to $2,275 a month; the calculator shows the top of the range as its headline figure, because the statute sets a limit, not a target. Duration is capped by the length of the marriage: 50% of the months married for marriages of 5 years or less, rising by bands to 80% for marriages of 20 years or less, so a 13-year marriage allows 109.2 months. After more than 20 years, the judge may order alimony for as long as is fair. General term alimony normally ends when the payer reaches full retirement age.
Guideline range in Massachusetts, per month
$1,500 to $1,750
Duration: up to 101 months
| Difference between gross incomes | $5,000 |
| 30% of the difference | $1,500 |
| 35% of the difference | $1,750 |
| Longest general term | 100.8 months |
General term alimony should generally not exceed the recipient's need or 30–35% of the difference between gross incomes; the range shown is that ceiling.
For this marriage length, general term alimony lasts at most 70% of the months married.
General term alimony normally ends when the payer reaches full retirement age, and cohabitation of at least 3 months can reduce or end it.
Estimate under the Massachusetts formula as published; eligibility, the judge's findings and an agreement between spouses decide the real order. How this is calculated.
Why the headline is the 35% figure
Massachusetts does not tell the judge what to order. It tells the judge what not to exceed, except in unusual cases: the lesser of the recipient's need and 30% to 35% of the gross income difference. A recipient whose documented budget gap is small receives less, whatever the percentage. We display the 35% end because it answers the question people ask first, how high can it go, and we show the 30% end next to it. In our example of $10,500 and $4,000, the difference is $6,500 and the ceiling lies between $1,950 and $2,275.
Gross income is borrowed from the Child Support Guidelines. Two kinds of income are left out: capital gains, dividends and interest from assets already divided in the divorce, and income already used to set a child support order. If the payer remarries, the new spouse's income cannot be used to justify an increase.
The duration scale
| Marriage length | General term alimony, at most |
|---|---|
| 5 years or less | 50% of the months married |
| 10 years or less | 60% of the months married |
| 15 years or less | 70% of the months married |
| 20 years or less | 80% of the months married |
| more than 20 years | as long as the judge finds fair |
The scale counts months, so a 13-year marriage of 156 months caps general term alimony at 109.2 months, while a 22-year marriage leaves the term to the judge, which our calculator reports as no fixed limit (open-ended). Judges can exceed these limits for good reason, and a recipient can ask for an extension through a complaint for modification on clear and convincing evidence of a material change.
Retirement, cohabitation and the other three types
General term alimony normally ends when the payer reaches full retirement age as defined for Social Security, unless the judge orders otherwise at the start. Living with a partner for at least three months can reduce, suspend or end it. Rehabilitative alimony targets a recipient expected to become self-supporting by a predictable date, while reimbursement and transitional alimony are limited to marriages of five years or less: the first repays the cost of helping the other spouse through school or training, the second eases a move into a new life or place.
The Massachusetts rule this calculator applies
Scope. Alimony after divorce under the Alimony Reform Act (M.G.L. c. 208, §§ 48-55): general term, rehabilitative, reimbursement and transitional alimony; duration limits apply to general term alimony.
Amount. Except for reimbursement alimony or unusual circumstances, alimony should generally not exceed the recipient's need or 30-35% of the difference between the parties' gross incomes when the order issues (M.G.L. c. 208, § 53(b), as explained by the Probate and Family Court). Gross income is the Child Support Guidelines definition, excluding capital gains, dividends and interest from assets already divided, and income already used for a child support order. The new spouse's income of a remarried payer is not considered.
Duration. General term alimony maximum (M.G.L. c. 208, § 49(b), per the Probate and Family Court): marriages of 5 years or less: 50% of the number of months married; 10 years or less: 60%; 15 years or less: 70%; 20 years or less: 80%; more than 20 years: as long as the judge finds fair. Alimony normally ends on the death of either spouse, remarriage of the recipient, or the payer reaching full retirement age; cohabitation for at least 3 months can reduce or end it.
Eligibility. Alimony is paid by a spouse able to pay to a spouse in need; the court weighs length of marriage, age, health, income and employability, economic and non-economic contributions, marital lifestyle, ability to maintain it, lost economic opportunity and other factors. Reimbursement and transitional alimony are only for marriages of no more than 5 years.
Worth knowing in Massachusetts
- General term alimony normally stops when the payer reaches full retirement age, unless the judge orders otherwise. source
- Living with a partner for at least 3 months can reduce or end the recipient's alimony. source
- Reimbursement and transitional alimony are reserved to marriages of no more than 5 years. source
- When a remarried payer's alimony is reviewed for an increase, the new spouse's income is not considered. source