Utah Alimony Calculator 2026

Utah Alimony Formula & Factors

Utah has no formula for the amount of alimony, but it limits how long alimony can last. Utah's alimony law is in Utah Code Title 81, Chapter 4, Part 5. According to the Utah State Courts alimony page, the court looks at the standard of living during the marriage, the financial condition and needs of the spouse who would receive alimony, that spouse's earning capacity, the paying spouse's ability to provide support, the tax consequences, the length of the marriage, whether the recipient has custody of minor children who need support, and whether the recipient worked in the other spouse's business or helped increase the other spouse's skills.

What the Illustrative Estimate Is

Because Utah 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 Utah law and Utah 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.

Utah Alimony Rules at a Glance

Worked Example: Utah 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 Utah law.

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

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

Utah Alimony Duration Rules

The court may not order alimony for a period longer than the length of the marriage unless there are special reasons, which a spouse can raise at any time before the alimony order ends. The length of the marriage runs from the wedding to the day the divorce petition is filed, and the time for which temporary alimony was paid before the decree counts toward the total.

Is Alimony Taxable in Utah?

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 Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah Code Title 81, Chapter 4, Part 5 before relying on a general rule, and get advice from a family lawyer licensed in Utah about your own case. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

Last updated: October 2026. Sources: Utah Code Title 81, Chapter 4, Part 5 (Utah Legislature); Utah State Courts alimony page; AAML Commission recommendations (Kisthardt, 21 J. Am. Acad. Matrim. Law. 61); IRS Topic No. 452.