Indiana Alimony Calculator 2026

Indiana Alimony Formula & Factors

Indiana allows court-ordered maintenance only in three situations, and has no formula for the amount. Under Indiana Code § 31-15-7-2 a court may find maintenance necessary (1) for a spouse who is physically or mentally incapacitated to the extent that the ability to support themselves is materially affected; (2) for a spouse who lacks sufficient property for their needs and has custody of a child whose incapacity requires the spouse to forgo employment; or (3) as rehabilitative maintenance.

For rehabilitative maintenance the court considers each spouse's education at the time of the marriage and of the divorce filing, whether homemaking or child care interrupted the education, training or employment of the spouse asking, each spouse's earning capacity, and the time and expense needed for that spouse to gain enough education or training to find appropriate employment.

What the Illustrative Estimate Is

Because Indiana law gives no figure to calculate, the dollar amount on this page is an illustration only. It uses the reference method recommended by a commission of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and adopted by its Board of Governors in March 2007: 30% of the payor's gross income minus 20% of the recipient's gross income, limited so that the recipient ends up with no more than 40% of the couple's combined gross income. The method is set out in Mary Kay Kisthardt's article in the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (vol. 21, 2008) and summarised by Maryland's highest court in Boemio v. Boemio (2010).

The AAML method is not Indiana law and Indiana courts are not bound by it. It lists its own reasons to depart from the result, such as a spouse caring for a young or disabled child, age or health, or a career given up for the other spouse. It was written when alimony was still tax-deductible for the payer, and it does not apply when combined gross income is above $1,000,000 a year. Treat the figure as a starting point for a conversation with a lawyer, not as a prediction.

Indiana Alimony Rules at a Glance

Worked Example: Indiana Alimony Calculator

Take gross incomes of $8,000 and $3,000 a month. Under the AAML reference method, 30% of $8,000 is $2,400 and 20% of $3,000 is $600, a difference of $1,800. The limit is 40% of the combined $11,000, which is $4,400, less the recipient's own $3,000: $1,400. The illustrative amount is the lower figure, $1,400 a month ($16,800 a year). This is an illustration, not an amount set by Indiana law.

For a 12-year marriage, the Indiana rule on length gives up to 3 years.

These are the figures the calculator shows when the page first loads. A real order depends on evidence a calculator cannot see.

Indiana Alimony Duration Rules

Rehabilitative maintenance may be ordered for the period the court considers appropriate, but for no more than three years from the date of the final decree. Incapacity maintenance may continue during the period of incapacity, subject to further order of the court, and caregiver maintenance lasts for the period the court considers appropriate.

Is Alimony Taxable in Indiana?

For federal income tax, alimony or separate maintenance paid under a divorce or separation agreement executed after 2018 is not deductible by the payer and is not included in the recipient's income. Payments under an agreement executed before 2019 are generally still deductible by the payer and taxable to the recipient, unless the agreement was later modified and the modification expressly adopts the new rule (IRS Topic No. 452). Child support is never deductible and is not income.

This page does not cover Indiana state income tax. State rules are set separately and can differ from the federal rule, so check with the state tax agency or a tax adviser.

Modifying Indiana Alimony

Whether an order can be changed depends on its wording and on the type of support. In most cases either spouse can ask the court to modify periodic payments after a substantial change in circumstances, unless the decree or the spouses' agreement makes the support non-modifiable.

Read the order itself and IC 31-15-7-2 before relying on a general rule, and get advice from a family lawyer licensed in Indiana about your own case. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

Last updated: October 2026. Sources: Indiana Code § 31-15-7-2 (Justia, 2025 Indiana Code); AAML Commission recommendations (Kisthardt, 21 J. Am. Acad. Matrim. Law. 61); IRS Topic No. 452.