Iowa Alimony Calculator 2026

Iowa Alimony Formula & Factors

Iowa has no alimony formula. Iowa Code § 598.21A lets the court order support after considering the length of the marriage, the age and health of the spouses, the property division, each spouse's education, the earning capacity of the spouse asking, the feasibility of that spouse becoming self-supporting at a standard of living reasonably comparable to that of the marriage, the tax consequences, and any agreement between the spouses.

What the Illustrative Estimate Is

Because Iowa 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 Iowa law and Iowa 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.

Iowa Alimony Rules at a Glance

Worked Example: Iowa 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 Iowa law.

For a 12-year marriage the same reference method multiplies the length by 0.75, giving about 9 years. That too is an illustration; Iowa law sets no schedule.

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

Iowa Alimony Duration Rules

Iowa law sets no schedule for how long spousal support lasts. Support may be ordered for a limited or an indefinite length of time.

The duration this page shows is an illustration only. It uses the same AAML reference method: the length of the marriage multiplied by 0.3 for marriages of up to 3 years, 0.5 for more than 3 and up to 10 years, and 0.75 for more than 10 and up to 20 years, with open-ended support suggested after more than 20 years.

Is Alimony Taxable in Iowa?

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 Iowa 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 Iowa 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 Iowa Code § 598.21A before relying on a general rule, and get advice from a family lawyer licensed in Iowa about your own case. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

Last updated: October 2026. Sources: Iowa Code § 598.21A (Iowa Legislature); AAML Commission recommendations (Kisthardt, 21 J. Am. Acad. Matrim. Law. 61); IRS Topic No. 452.