Florida Alimony Calculator (2026)

How is Florida alimony calculated under Fla. Stat. § 61.08 (2023 reform)?

Every number this calculator produces traces to one statute: Fla. Stat. § 61.08, as rewritten by ch. 2023-315 (SB 1416) for petitions “pending or filed on or after July 1, 2023” (§ 61.08(11)).

What forms of alimony can a Florida court award under § 61.08(1)(a)?

“the court may grant alimony to either party in the form or forms of temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, or durational alimony, as is equitable” — Fla. Stat. § 61.08(1)(a)

Permanent alimony is absent from that list. It was removed by omission — the 2023 Legislature rewrote the menu of available forms rather than adding a sentence repealing permanent alimony. Bridge-the-gap is capped at 2 years (§ 61.08(6)); rehabilitative at 5 years and requires “a specific and defined rehabilitative plan” (§ 61.08(7)).

How long can durational alimony last under § 61.08(8)?

“An award of durational alimony may not exceed 50 percent of the length of a short-term marriage, 60 percent of the length of a moderate-term marriage, or 75 percent of the length of a long-term marriage.” — Fla. Stat. § 61.08(8)(b)

Those are the 50% / 60% / 75% caps the calculator applies. § 61.08(5) supplies the categories by rebuttable presumption: short-term is under 10 years, moderate-term is 10 to 20 years, long-term is 20 years or longer.

How is the length of the marriage measured for the § 61.08(8) cap?

“The length of a marriage is the period of time from the date of marriage until the date of filing of an action for dissolution of marriage.” — Fla. Stat. § 61.08(5)

Separation date does not control. Neither does the date of the final judgment. The clock stops on the filing date, which is why the calculator asks for marriage length in years rather than a separation date.

What caps the monthly amount, and how is “net income” defined?

“The amount of durational alimony is the amount determined to be the obligee’s reasonable need, or an amount not to exceed 35 percent of the difference between the parties’ net incomes, whichever amount is less.” — Fla. Stat. § 61.08(8)(c)

The same paragraph directs that net income “be calculated in conformity with s. 61.30(2) and (3), excluding spousal support paid pursuant to a court order in the action between the parties” — so the child-support statute, § 61.30, supplies the definition of net income used in the 35% alimony cap.

What does this calculator not model?

“the court shall first make a specific, factual determination as to whether the party seeking support, maintenance, or alimony has an actual need for it and whether the other party has the ability to pay” — Fla. Stat. § 61.08(2)(a)

Need and ability to pay are threshold findings the court makes before any award, and the calculator cannot make them. Nor does it weigh the ten § 61.08(3) factors (duration, standard of living, age and health, resources and income, earning capacity, contributions to the marriage, responsibility for minor children, and any other factor necessary for equity). § 61.08(9) separately bars an award that would leave the payor with significantly less net income than the recipient absent written findings of exceptional circumstances.

Where does alimony sit among the other Florida divorce statutes?

A Florida dissolution of marriage is governed by a small set of statutes, and each one has its own pinpoint rule. Residency is Fla. Stat. § 61.021 (one party must have resided in Florida 6 months before filing); the ground is § 61.052 (irretrievable breakdown — no fault required); property is § 61.075; alimony is § 61.08; time-sharing is § 61.13; child support is § 61.30; attorney’s fees are § 61.16 (see Rosen v. Rosen, 696 So. 2d 697 (Fla. 1997)); post-judgment changes are § 61.14; and § 61.19 bars entry of a final judgment until at least 20 days after the petition is filed, absent a showing of injustice.

Primary sources: Fla. Stat. § 61.08 · Fla. Stat. § 61.30 · Florida Courts — Family Courts