Vermont Alimony Calculator: How Spousal Maintenance Is Calculated

Vermont doesn't have a mandatory alimony formula — but it does have statutory advisory guidelines that give you a clear starting range. If you're trying to estimate what spousal maintenance might look like in your divorce, here's how the math actually works under current law.

The Two Threshold Tests

Before any calculation matters, the court must find that the requesting spouse meets both conditions under 15 V.S.A. § 752(a):

1. Income/property deficit: The spouse lacks sufficient income or property (including what they received in the property settlement) to meet their reasonable needs.
2. Employability deficit: The spouse cannot support themselves at the standard of living established during the marriage through appropriate employment, or is the custodial parent of a child whose needs make employment impractical.

If both conditions aren't met, maintenance is denied regardless of income disparity.

Vermont's Advisory Maintenance Guidelines

Once eligibility is established, Vermont's guidelines calculate maintenance as a percentage of the gross monthly income difference between spouses, with duration tied to marriage length:

Example: In a 12-year marriage where Spouse A earns $8,000/month gross and Spouse B earns $3,500/month gross, the income difference is $4,500. The guideline range (16%–33%) suggests maintenance of $720 to $1,485 per month, for a duration of roughly 4.8 to 7.2 years.

The Post-2019 Tax Rules Are Critical

Many online calculators still use pre-2019 percentages (30%–50% ranges for longer marriages). Those numbers are dangerously outdated.

For any divorce finalized on or after January 1, 2019, spousal maintenance is tax-neutral at the federal level: the paying spouse cannot deduct it, and the receiving spouse doesn't pay income tax on it. Vermont's legislature adjusted the guideline percentages downward to reflect this change. Using a pre-2019 calculator will produce inflated numbers that no Vermont court would order today.

Types of Maintenance

Vermont courts award different types depending on the situation:

• Rehabilitative: Temporary support while a spouse gets education, training, or work experience to become self-sufficient. Most common in marriages of moderate length.
• Long-term/permanent: For marriages of long duration where a permanent earning gap exists. Provides ongoing income to approximate the marital standard of living.

When Maintenance Ends

Under 15 V.S.A. § 752(d), maintenance automatically terminates upon:

• Death of either party
• Remarriage of the receiving spouse
• Cohabitation of the receiving spouse in a marriage-like relationship
• The paying spouse reaching full Social Security retirement age

Modification Requires a High Bar

Changing an existing maintenance order requires proof of a "real, substantial, and unanticipated change of circumstances" under 15 V.S.A. § 758. Courts typically require an involuntary income reduction of 10–15% or more, a serious medical diagnosis, or a significant change in the receiving spouse's finances.

Run Your Own Numbers

The advisory guidelines give you a range, not a fixed number. Where your case falls within that range depends on factors like each spouse's health, career sacrifices during the marriage, and the property settlement structure.

The Vermont Divorce Financial Split Guide includes a spousal maintenance estimator worksheet that walks you through the current post-2019 guidelines with your actual income figures, so you can model realistic scenarios before you negotiate.

See more Vermont guides →