Maine Alimony & Spousal Support (2026)
Maine has no formula for the amount of alimony — that is fully up to the judge. But state law does set a fixed limit on how long alimony can last, described below.
How long alimony can last
Maine sets rebuttable presumptions tied to marriage length: for marriages under 10 years, general support presumptively may not be awarded at all; for marriages of at least 10 years but not more than 20 years, general support presumptively may not exceed half the length of the marriage; for marriages over 20 years, the statute sets no duration presumption. All of these are rebuttable — a court can depart from them if applying the presumption would be inequitable or unjust.
What determines alimony in Maine
Under 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A (Maine Revised Statutes Title 19-A, § 951-A), a court considers:
- Each party's income, employment, and employability
- Each party's age and physical/emotional health
- Standard of living during the marriage
- Length of the marriage
- Each party's ability to pay, considering their income, employment, employability, and assets
- Contributions of either party as a homemaker
- Contributions of either party to the education or career of the other
- Each party's tax consequences
- Health insurance costs and availability
- Any other factor the court considers appropriate
Good to know
- Even though duration has statutory presumptions, the actual AMOUNT of support is still fully discretionary — Maine has no formula or percentage for calculating how much support should be.
- A court can override any of these duration presumptions if it finds that doing so is necessary to avoid an inequitable or unjust result.
Also need a child support estimate?
Alimony and child support are calculated completely separately in Maine. If you also have children, use our free Maine child support calculator — that one does compute a real number, based on the official guideline formula.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an alimony formula in Maine?
Not for the amount — that's fully up to the court based on the statutory factors. But Maine does set rebuttable presumptions for duration: no general support is presumed for marriages under 10 years, and support is presumed capped at half the marriage length for marriages of 10-20 years.
How long does alimony last in Maine?
For marriages under 10 years, there's a presumption against awarding general support at all. For marriages of 10-20 years, support is presumed capped at half the length of the marriage. For marriages over 20 years, there's no duration presumption — length is fully up to the court. All of these presumptions can be overridden if a judge finds that necessary for a fair result.
Source: Maine Revised Statutes Title 19-A, § 951-A · Last verified 2026-07-22
Disclaimer: This page explains the general legal framework for alimony in Maine and is for informational purposes only — it is not legal advice and does not predict the outcome of any specific case. Laws change; always verify with the official source above or a family law attorney licensed in Maine before making decisions.