Alabama Spousal Support Calculator Estimate alimony under Ala. Code § 30-2-57: type, duration limits and an illustrative monthly amount
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Alabama Alimony at a Glance
Use this free Alabama spousal support calculator to see how Alabama's alimony statute may apply to your situation. The same state law applies whether your divorce is filed in Birmingham (Jefferson County), Huntsville (Madison County), Mobile, Montgomery or anywhere else in Alabama. Alabama has no alimony formula, so this tool screens the three findings a court must make under Ala. Code § 30-2-57(a), indicates the likely type and duration of support, and gives an illustrative monthly figure that compares the recipient's shortfall with the payor's ability to pay.
Three findings required
The court must expressly find a lack of means, the other spouse's ability to pay without undue economic hardship, and that an award is equitable.
§ 30-2-57(a)
Rehabilitative first
Unless rehabilitation is expressly found not feasible, support is rehabilitative: up to 5 years absent extraordinary circumstances.
§ 30-2-57(b)(1)
Periodic alimony
Awarded if rehabilitation is not feasible, fails, or only partly works. Generally capped at the length of the marriage, with no limit for marriages of 20+ years.
§ 30-2-57(b)(2), (g)
Reserving jurisdiction
If need is shown but the other spouse presently cannot pay, the court shall reserve jurisdiction when equitable. If it neither awards nor reserves, the power is lost for good.
§ 30-2-57(c)
Modification and ending support
Modifiable on a material change in circumstances. Ends on either spouse's death; remarriage or cohabitation ends periodic alimony on petition and proof.
§§ 30-2-57(h), (i); 30-2-55
No formula
Judges weigh statutory factors on the recipient's resources, the payor's ability to pay and equity. There is no guideline amount.
§ 30-2-57(d)-(f)
Alabama Alimony Calculator
Fields marked *with an asterisk are required. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
Income Information
ℹ️Total gross monthly income of the spouse who would pay, from all sources before taxes: wages, bonuses, commissions, rental and other regular income.
Please enter a valid positive number
ℹ️Alabama courts consider the payor's net income when judging ability to pay (§ 30-2-57(e)(4)). If you leave this blank, gross income is used, which overstates ability to pay.
Take-home income must be a positive number and cannot exceed gross income
ℹ️Gross monthly income of the spouse who would receive support. If the recipient is not working, you may enter potential earning capacity, which courts consider under § 30-2-57(d)(4). If a child's circumstances make outside work inappropriate (§ 30-2-57(d)(6)), enter actual income instead.
Please enter a valid positive number
ℹ️Amount the payor currently pays in child support. Enter 0 if none. It reduces the money the payor has available to pay alimony in this estimate.
Please enter a valid positive number
Marriage Details
ℹ️Length of the marriage as of the date the divorce complaint was filed. This sets the outer limit on periodic alimony for marriages under 20 years, and removes the limit at 20 years or more (§ 30-2-57(g)).
Please enter a valid duration between 0 and 100 years
Recipient has primary physical custody of a child whose circumstances make outside work inappropriateℹ️Statutory factor under § 30-2-57(d)(6). It applies when the child's condition or circumstances make it appropriate that the recipient not be required to seek employment outside the home.
ℹ️Age is considered in wage-earning capacity and in whether rehabilitation is feasible (§ 30-2-57(b), (d)(4), (f)(4)). Not used in the dollar estimate.
Please enter a valid age between 18 and 100
ℹ️Age and wage-earning ability are considered in judging ability to pay (§ 30-2-57(e)(5)). Not used in the dollar estimate.
Please enter a valid age between 18 and 100
Alabama Statutory Factors
Rehabilitation is not feasibleℹ️Check if the recipient cannot realistically become self-supporting, for example because of age, health or disability. The court must expressly find this before awarding periodic alimony instead of rehabilitative alimony (§ 30-2-57(b)).
Feasibility of rehabilitation
Age and health: advanced age or chronic illness may make retraining unrealistic.
Time out of the workforce: a long absence can limit wage-earning capacity.
Disability: a documented disability limiting work capacity.
Failed or partial rehabilitation: if a good-faith attempt fails or only partly works, the court awards periodic alimony (§ 30-2-57(b)(2)).
See Ala. Code § 30-2-57(b)
Fault is an issue in the breakdown of the marriageℹ️The court considers the relative fault of the parties for the breakdown of the marriage as one equity factor (§ 30-2-57(f)(3)).
Fault-related equity factors
Relative fault of the parties for the breakdown of the marriage (§ 30-2-57(f)(3)).
Economic misconduct: excessive or abnormal expenditures, destruction, concealment or fraudulent disposition of property (§ 30-2-57(f)(8)).
See Ala. Code § 30-2-57(f)
Criminal conviction for conduct against the other spouse or a childℹ️The court may consider all actual damages and judgments from conduct resulting in a criminal conviction of either spouse in which the other spouse or a child of the marriage was the victim (§ 30-2-57(f)(9)).
Criminal conviction factor
An equity factor covering actual damages and judgments from conduct that resulted in a criminal conviction where the other spouse or a child was the victim.
See Ala. Code § 30-2-57(f)(9)
Recipient has significant separate propertyℹ️The court considers the recipient's own individual assets and the marital property awarded to the recipient when deciding whether the recipient lacks means (§ 30-2-57(d)(1)-(2)). Substantial assets can defeat a finding of lack of means.
Recipient can meet needs now, but resources may soon run outℹ️A court can reserve jurisdiction to award alimony later. The statute requires it in one situation (§ 30-2-57(c)); Ex parte Gartrell (Ala. 2025) confirms the court may also do so when justice requires.
Needs and Resources
ℹ️Rent or mortgage, property taxes, insurance and utilities. Alabama measures need against the economic status quo of the marriage, so enter realistic costs at that standard of living.
Please enter a valid positive number
ℹ️Premiums not covered by an employer plus expected out-of-pocket medical costs.
Please enter a valid positive number
ℹ️Food, transportation, clothing, personal care and other regular costs.
Please enter a valid positive number
ℹ️Cost of education or training needed to become self-supporting. Counted only when the estimate is for rehabilitative alimony, which is meant to enable the recipient to acquire that ability (§ 30-2-57(b)(1)).
Please enter a valid positive number
ℹ️The payor's necessary living expenses. They help show whether support can be supplied without undue economic hardship (§ 30-2-57(a)(2)). If left blank, the estimate treats them as $0, which overstates ability to pay.
Please enter a valid positive number
Earning Capacity
ℹ️Education is part of the recipient's wage-earning capacity (§ 30-2-57(d)(4)). It is listed in your results but does not change the dollar estimate.
ℹ️Total years the recipient was not employed during the marriage, for example while homemaking or raising children. Work experience is part of wage-earning capacity (§ 30-2-57(d)(4)).
Please enter a valid number between 0 and 50
ℹ️Professional licensing is considered in the payor's wage-earning ability (§ 30-2-57(e)(5)) and, through education and experience, in the recipient's (§ 30-2-57(d)(4)). Listed in your results; not used in the dollar estimate.
Recipient reduced income or career opportunities for the familyℹ️An equity factor: the extent to which one party reduced income or career opportunities for the benefit of the other party or the family (§ 30-2-57(f)(7)).
Recipient has a documented disability limiting workℹ️Health and disability bear on wage-earning capacity (§ 30-2-57(d)(4), (f)(4)). In this calculator it points toward periodic alimony, but the court must expressly find that rehabilitation is not feasible.
Your Alabama Alimony Estimate
Illustrative monthly amount
Statutory screen (§ 30-2-57(a))
Lack of means:
Ability to pay:
Equity:
Preliminary screen:
Type of alimony indicated
How the amount was estimated
Duration
Reservation of jurisdiction
Statutory factors your answers raise
The court decides how much weight each factor carries. These are listed for discussion with an attorney, not scored.
Modifying or Ending Alimony in Alabama
Legal standards
Modification: rehabilitative or periodic alimony may be modified on application and a showing of a material change in circumstances (§ 30-2-57(h)).
Death: alimony ends on the death of either spouse (§ 30-2-57(i)).
Remarriage or cohabitation: on petition and proof that the recipient has remarried or is cohabiting with another individual, the court must modify the decree to terminate periodic alimony (§ 30-2-55). Cohabiting means dwelling together continually and habitually in a private relationship, evidenced by the voluntary mutual assumption of marital rights, duties and obligations (§ 30-2-55(a)).
Alimony in gross: generally final and not modifiable.
Common grounds
A substantial, lasting change in either party's income
Remarriage of the recipient
Cohabitation of the recipient
A new or worsening health condition affecting earning capacity or needs
Rehabilitation that failed or only partly succeeded, which the statute addresses in § 30-2-57(b)(2)
Typical steps
Gather evidence of the change, such as tax returns, pay records and medical records.
File a petition in the court that issued the original order.
Serve notice on the other party as the court rules require.
Attend any mediation the court orders or the parties agree to.
Present evidence at the hearing; the party seeking the change generally carries the burden.
Relief generally runs from the filing date forward, not retroactively.
Practical cautions
Never stop paying without a court order. Doing so can lead to arrears and contempt.
Act promptly. Because relief generally runs from the filing date, delay can cost money.
Check the decree. If it neither awarded alimony nor reserved jurisdiction, the court may have lost the power to award it later (§ 30-2-57(c)).
Recent Alabama Case Law
Ex parte Gartrell (Ala. 2025)
Alabama Supreme Court, certiorari review of a Court of Civil Appeals decision from the Madison Circuit Court
Holding: Section 30-2-57(c) is not the only circumstance in which a trial court may reserve jurisdiction to award periodic alimony. The statute requires reservation when need is proven but the other spouse presently cannot pay, and it does not remove the court's common-law authority to reserve jurisdiction when justice requires. The court affirmed the Court of Civil Appeals, which allowed the trial court to reserve jurisdiction to award periodic alimony later if circumstances change.
Why it matters: Whether a divorce judgment reserves jurisdiction can decide whether alimony can ever be awarded or changed later. Ask your attorney about it before the judgment is entered.
Case summaries are for general information and may not reflect later developments. Have an attorney confirm the current status of any authority before relying on it.
Alabama Alimony FAQs
What types of alimony exist in Alabama?▼
Temporary (pendente lite) support can be awarded while the divorce case is pending and ends when the divorce is final.
Rehabilitative alimony is time-limited support meant to help a spouse become self-supporting. It is the first option the court must consider (Ala. Code § 30-2-57(b)(1)).
Periodic alimony is ongoing installment support awarded when rehabilitation is not feasible, fails, or only partly succeeds (§ 30-2-57(b)(2)).
Alimony in gross is a lump-sum or fixed-amount award that Alabama courts generally treat as final and not modifiable.
Does Alabama have an alimony formula?▼
No. Alabama has no mathematical formula or guideline for alimony, unlike its child support guidelines. A judge decides whether to award alimony, how much and for how long by applying the statutory findings and factors in Ala. Code § 30-2-57, with the goal of preserving, to the extent possible, the economic status quo of the marriage.
The monthly figure this calculator shows is an illustration, not a formula result: it compares the recipient's monthly shortfall with the payor's ability to pay.
How is alimony eligibility determined in Alabama?▼
Under § 30-2-57(a), the court must expressly find all three of the following before awarding rehabilitative or periodic alimony:
1. Lack of means: a party lacks a separate estate, or the separate estate is insufficient to enable the party to acquire the ability to preserve, to the extent possible, the economic status quo of the marriage.
2. Ability to pay: the other party can supply those means without undue economic hardship.
3. Equity: the circumstances of the case make an award equitable.
If all three are found, the court awards alimony in the priority set by § 30-2-57(b), starting with rehabilitative alimony.
How long does rehabilitative alimony last in Alabama?▼
Unless the court expressly finds rehabilitative alimony is not feasible, it awards rehabilitative alimony for a limited duration, not to exceed five years, absent extraordinary circumstances (Ala. Code § 30-2-57(b)(1)).
How long can periodic alimony last in Alabama?▼
Unless the court finds that a deviation is equitably required, periodic alimony cannot run longer than the length of the marriage, measured as of the date the divorce complaint was filed. If the parties were married 20 years or longer, there is no time limit on eligibility (Ala. Code § 30-2-57(g)).
Periodic alimony still ends on the death of either spouse and on the recipient's remarriage or cohabitation, as described below.
What is reservation of jurisdiction, and what did Ex parte Gartrell decide?▼
Reserving jurisdiction means the divorce judgment keeps the court's power to award alimony later. Under § 30-2-57(c), if a spouse proves a lack of means but the other spouse presently cannot supply them, the court, when the circumstances make it equitable, shall reserve jurisdiction. If a judgment neither awards alimony nor reserves jurisdiction, the court permanently loses jurisdiction to award it later.
In Ex parte Gartrell (Ala. 2025), the Alabama Supreme Court held that § 30-2-57(c) is not the only situation in which a trial court may reserve jurisdiction to award periodic alimony. The statute requires reservation in a specific case but does not displace the court's common-law authority to reserve jurisdiction when justice requires.
Can alimony be modified or terminated in Alabama?▼
Modification: an order awarding rehabilitative or periodic alimony may be modified on application and a showing of a material change in circumstances (§ 30-2-57(h)).
Death: rehabilitative or periodic alimony ends on the death of either spouse (§ 30-2-57(i)).
Remarriage or cohabitation: on a party's petition and proof that the recipient has remarried or is cohabiting with another individual, the court must modify the decree to terminate periodic alimony (Ala. Code § 30-2-55). Termination is not self-executing; a petition and proof are required.
Alimony in gross is generally treated as a final, non-modifiable award.
Are alimony payments tax-deductible?▼
For divorce or separation agreements executed after December 31, 2018, alimony is not deductible by the payor and is not taxable income to the recipient for federal income tax purposes, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. That federal change has no scheduled expiration.
Agreements executed on or before December 31, 2018 keep the old treatment (deductible for the payor, taxable to the recipient) unless a later modification expressly states that the new rules apply. State tax treatment may differ, so consult a tax professional.
How does this calculator estimate the monthly amount?▼
Because Alabama has no formula, the calculator uses a transparent illustration tied to the statute's concepts: the recipient's monthly shortfall (monthly needs minus the recipient's income) compared with the payor's ability to pay (take-home income minus the payor's expenses and child support). The illustrative amount is the smaller of the two.
It does not predict what a judge will order. It does not model property division, the court's findings on equity, or most of the individual factors in § 30-2-57(d)-(f); those are listed in your results for discussion with an attorney.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides educational estimates based on Ala. Code § 30-2-57 and § 30-2-55 as published, and it is not legal advice. It does not predict what a court will order; Alabama has no alimony formula and each judge decides on the evidence. Statutes and case law change. Consult a licensed Alabama family law attorney about your situation.