$
Before taxes — can be either spouse
Enter higher earner's income
$
Enter 0 if unemployed
Enter lower earner's income
yrs
Key threshold: under or over 10 years
Enter marriage length
Affects net disposable income calculation
Estimated Monthly Support
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⚠ Legal Disclaimer: This is an estimate only. California courts have broad discretion in setting spousal support. Actual awards vary significantly based on standard of living, earning capacity, health, and other factors. Consult a family law attorney for legal advice.
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California Spousal Support Formula
California uses a guideline formula for temporary spousal support during divorce proceedings. For long-term support, judges have broad discretion under Family Code §4320. The most widely used temporary formula is based on the Santa Clara / DissoMaster approach.
Guideline Formula
Support = 40% of Payor's Net − 50% of Recipient's Net
Net income ≈ Gross × 0.72 (approximates taxes). This formula is used for temporary support. Long-term (permanent) support is determined by the judge using FC §4320 factors including standard of living, earning capacity, age, health, and length of marriage.
💡 10-year rule: Marriages under 10 years typically result in support lasting half the marriage length. Marriages of 10+ years are considered "long-term" — the court retains jurisdiction indefinitely and support may last longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
For marriages under 10 years, support typically lasts half the length of the marriage. For marriages 10 years or longer ("long-term marriages"), the court retains jurisdiction indefinitely. However, the supported spouse is expected to become self-supporting within a reasonable time, and support can be modified or terminated as circumstances change.
Under current federal tax law (post-2018 divorces), alimony is no longer deductible for the payer nor taxable income for the recipient. For divorces finalized before January 1, 2019, the old rules may still apply (deductible for payer, taxable to recipient) if the agreement is not modified.
Yes. Either party can request modification if there is a significant change in circumstances — such as job loss, substantial income change, remarriage of the supported spouse, or cohabitation. Remarriage of the supported spouse automatically terminates spousal support in California.
Under Family Code §4320, courts consider: marital standard of living, each spouse's earning capacity and needs, contributions to education/career of the other spouse, assets and debts, length of marriage, age and health, domestic violence history, and the goal that the supported spouse become self-supporting within a reasonable time.
No statutory formula for long-term support — judges apply Family Code § 4320 factors. A common temporary support guideline is: 40% of paying spouse's net income minus 50% of receiving spouse's net income. This varies by county; each has local formulas used for temporary orders during divorce proceedings.
Yes — either party can petition for modification on a material change in circumstances: significant income change, remarriage of receiving spouse (terminates support by law), cohabitation with new partner, retirement, disability, or custody changes. Orders labeled "non-modifiable" may restrict changes, making the original court order language critical.
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