Alimony (spousal support) in Arizona is designed to help a lower-earning spouse maintain a reasonable standard of living after divorce. This comprehensive guide covers the types of alimony available in Arizona, how courts calculate amounts, duration guidelines, modification rules, and the impact of remarriage, cohabitation, and retirement on support obligations. Understanding Arizona’s alimony laws helps both paying and receiving spouses plan their financial futures.
Verified against Arizona family law statutes as of May 2026.
In This Arizona Alimony Guide:
Types of Alimony in Arizona
Arizona courts may award the following types of alimony:
- Arizona recognizes three types of spousal maintenance: (1) Temporary spousal maintenance (pendente lite) — awarded during the divorce process until the decree is finalized; (2) Rehabilitative spousal maintenance — short-term support (typically 1-8 years) awarded post-decree to help the lower-earning spouse become self-sufficient through education
- training
- or employment; (3) Indefinite spousal maintenance — awarded without a fixed end date in cases involving the Rule of 65
- permanent disability
- or extraordinary circumstances preventing self-support. Arizona does NOT use the terms bridge-the-gap
- durational
- or reimbursement alimony. The state exclusively uses the term “spousal maintenance” rather than “alimony.”
How Arizona Calculates Alimony
Arizona uses a guideline formula for calculating alimony: Arizona adopted statutory spousal maintenance guidelines effective September 24, 2022 (ARS 25-319 amendment), with the Arizona Supreme Court approving the detailed Guidelines on June 30, 2023, updated again effective September 1, 2025. The formula works as follows: (1) Calculate the income difference between the two spouses; (2) Multiply the income difference by the Estimated Spousal Support Percentage (ranging from 15% to 25% of the income difference) to determine the support obligation; (3) The calculator uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey to determine the receiving spouse’s share of combined expenditures proportional to their share of combined Spousal Maintenance Income; (4) Duration is generally 30% to 50% of the length of the marriage, with a guideline range of 12 to 96 months; (5) High-income adjustment: for incomes above 175000, a maximum adjustment of 70% applies (updated in 2025 guidelines); (6) Monthly mortgage principal payments are no longer included in the formula. The court must apply the guidelines amount unless it finds in writing that applying the guidelines would be inappropriate or unjust, in which case it may deviate based on the 13 statutory factors.
Arizona courts consider these factors when determining alimony:
- ARS 25-319 lists 13 factors the court considers together and weighs in conjunction with each other: (1) The standard of living established during the marriage; (2) The duration of the marriage; (3) The age
- employment history
- earning ability
- and physical and emotional condition of the spouse seeking maintenance; (4) The ability of the spouse from whom maintenance is sought to meet that spouse’s needs while meeting those of the spouse seeking maintenance; (5) The comparative financial resources of the spouses
- including their comparative earning abilities in the labor market; (6) The contribution of the spouse seeking maintenance to the earning ability of the other spouse; (7) The extent to which the spouse seeking maintenance has reduced that spouse’s income or career opportunities for the benefit of the other spouse; (8) The ability of both parties after the dissolution to contribute to the future educational costs of their mutual children; (9) The financial resources of the party seeking maintenance
- including marital property apportioned to that spouse
- and that spouse’s ability to meet that spouse’s own needs independently; (10) The time necessary to acquire sufficient education or training to enable the party seeking maintenance to find appropriate employment and whether such education or training is readily available; (11) Excessive or abnormal expenditures
- destruction
- concealment
- or fraudulent disposition of community
- joint tenancy
- and other property held in common; (12) The cost for the spouse who is seeking maintenance to obtain health insurance and the reduction in the cost of health insurance for the spouse from whom maintenance is sought if the spouse from whom maintenance is sought is able to convert family health insurance to employee health insurance after the marriage is dissolved; (13) All actual damages and judgments from conduct that results in criminal conviction of either spouse in which the other spouse or a child was the victim.
Income disparity: YES — under ARS 25-319(A), a spouse must demonstrate eligibility by meeting at least one of these criteria: (1) Lacks sufficient property, including property apportioned in the divorce, to provide for reasonable needs; (2) Is unable to be self-sufficient through appropriate employment, or is unemployed or underemployed and lacks earning ability adequate to be self-sufficient; (3) Has made significant financial or domestic contributions to the education, training, or earning ability of the other spouse; (4) Had a marriage of long duration and is of an age that may preclude gaining adequate employment; (5) Is the parent of a child whose age or condition requires the parent to remain home rather than seek outside employment. Financial need and inability to be self-sufficient are the core threshold requirements.
Vocational evaluation: YES — Arizona courts commonly order vocational evaluations to assess the earning capacity of a spouse seeking maintenance, particularly when that spouse has been out of the workforce, is underemployed, or claims inability to be self-sufficient. A vocational expert evaluates the spouse’s education, work history, skills, health, and the local job market to estimate realistic earning potential. The results are used by the court in applying the guidelines and determining both the amount and duration of maintenance.
Arizona Alimony Duration Guidelines
YES — Arizona has specific duration guidelines. The general guideline range is 12 to 96 months (1 to 8 years). Duration is typically calculated as 30% to 50% of the length of the marriage. For marriages of 20 years or more, the guidelines do not set a firm cap, giving courts flexibility to order payments for an indefinite period. The Rule of 65 applies when the requesting spouse’s age plus the length of the marriage equals or exceeds 65 — in that case, duration is determined on a case-by-case basis and may exceed 8 years or be indefinite.
| Marriage Length | Typical Alimony Duration |
|---|---|
| Short-term (under Less than 10 years is considered a short-term marriage in Arizona) | Rehabilitative or bridge-the-gap; limited duration |
| Moderate-term | Durational alimony; set period based on marriage length |
| Long-term (A marriage lasting over 15 years is generally considered long-term. The Rule of 65 requires both that the marriage lasted at least 16 years AND the requesting spouse is at least 42 years old (age + marriage length >= 65). For marriages of 20 or more years, there is no firm duration cap and indefinite maintenance becomes possible.+) | May qualify for permanent or indefinite alimony |
Permanent alimony: Arizona does not have “permanent” or “lifetime” alimony by that name, but courts may award indefinite spousal maintenance (no fixed end date) under three circumstances: (1) The requesting spouse has a permanent disability that prevents self-sufficiency; (2) Extraordinary circumstances prevent the requesting spouse from becoming self-supporting; (3) The requesting spouse meets the Rule of 65 (age + years of marriage >= 65, with minimum 42 years old and 16-year marriage). Even indefinite awards remain subject to modification or termination by the court and terminate automatically upon remarriage or death.
Modifying & Terminating Arizona Alimony
Modification: YES — under ARS 25-327(A), spousal maintenance may be modified or terminated upon a showing of changed circumstances that are substantial and continuing. Either party (payor or recipient) may petition the court. Modification can affect the amount, the duration, or both. Specific grounds include: substantial change in either party’s income or financial situation, change in health or employment status, addition or change in availability of health insurance coverage, and retirement of the paying spouse. Modifications are effective on the first day of the month following notice of the petition, unless the court orders otherwise for good cause. Accrued arrearages cannot be retroactively modified.
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Cohabitation: Arizona has NO specific statute addressing the effect of cohabitation on spousal maintenance. Cohabitation does NOT automatically terminate maintenance. However, under Arizona case law (Smith v. Mangum), cohabitation may constitute a change in circumstances justifying modification if the paying spouse can prove that the recipient’s living expenses have decreased as a direct result of the cohabitation. The burden of proof is on the paying spouse to demonstrate a reduction in the recipient’s financial needs.
Remarriage: Under ARS 25-327(B), the obligation to pay future spousal maintenance is automatically terminated upon the remarriage of the party receiving maintenance, unless otherwise agreed in writing or expressly provided in the decree. Maintenance also terminates automatically upon the death of either party. The parties may agree in their divorce decree to different termination terms.
Retirement: The retirement of the paying spouse may constitute a substantial and continuing change in circumstances sufficient to seek modification or termination of spousal maintenance under ARS 25-327. Arizona case law holds that even if retirement was anticipated at the time of the original award, the paying spouse should wait until retirement actually occurs to petition for modification rather than having it addressed speculatively. When a spouse has reached full retirement age under federal law (ages 65-67 depending on birth year), the court may impute income from retirement assets (distributions from retirement accounts) even if the spouse is not actually taking those distributions.
Tax Implications of Arizona Alimony
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017), for divorce agreements executed after December 31, 2018, alimony payments are not deductible by the paying spouse and not taxable income for the receiving spouse at the federal level. This applies to all Arizona divorces finalized after that date.
For divorces finalized before 2019, the old rules still apply unless the agreement is modified to adopt the new tax treatment.
Impact of Misconduct on Arizona Alimony
Adultery: Arizona statute ARS 25-319 explicitly provides that spousal maintenance shall be awarded “without regard to marital misconduct.” Adultery, standing alone, does NOT affect spousal maintenance awards. However, there is a narrow indirect exception: if a spouse dissipated marital assets by spending community funds on an extramarital affair, the court may consider this under Factor 11 (excessive or abnormal expenditures, destruction, concealment, or fraudulent disposition of community property), which could affect both the property division and indirectly impact the maintenance calculation.
Other marital misconduct: No — ARS 25-319 explicitly states that maintenance is awarded without regard to marital misconduct. Marital misconduct (including but not limited to adultery, cruelty, or abandonment) is NOT a factor in spousal maintenance determinations. The sole exception is Factor 13 (added by later amendment): all actual damages and judgments from conduct that results in criminal conviction of either spouse in which the other spouse or a child was the victim. This addresses domestic violence convictions but not general marital misconduct.
Additional Arizona rules: (1) SELF-SUFFICIENCY STANDARD: Arizona’s 2022 reform (effective September 24, 2022) explicitly established that spousal maintenance is awarded only for a period and amount necessary to enable the receiving spouse to become self-sufficient — this is a core statutory principle, not just a guideline preference. (2) RULE OF 65: Unique Arizona provision — if the requesting spouse’s age plus the length of the marriage equals or exceeds 65 (with the spouse being at least 42 and the marriage lasting at least 16 years), the court may award maintenance for a duration determined on a case-by-case basis, potentially indefinite. (3) MANDATORY GUIDELINES: For cases filed on or after September 24, 2022, the court must apply the Arizona Spousal Maintenance Guidelines and Calculator; deviation requires written findings that the guidelines would be inappropriate or unjust. (4) BLS DATA INTEGRATION: The calculator incorporates Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey data to determine the receiving spouse’s proportional share of combined household expenditures. (5) 2025 GUIDELINE UPDATES (effective September 1, 2025): High-income threshold increased to 175000 before adjustment applies; maximum adjustment reduced to 70%; monthly mortgage principal payments removed from the formula. (6) HEALTH INSURANCE: Factor 12 specifically addresses health insurance costs as a maintenance consideration, and a change in health insurance availability explicitly constitutes a substantial and continuing change in circumstances for modification purposes under ARS 25-327.
Official Sources & Resources
- Cornell LII — Alimony: law.cornell.edu
- NCSL Spousal Support: ncsl.org
- Arizona Alimony Statute: ARS 25-319 (Maintenance; guidelines; computation factors) — covers eligibility, the 13 factors, and the guidelines framework. ARS 25-327 (Modification and termination of provisions for maintenance, support, and property disposition) — covers modification, termination, and the effect of remarriage and death. Arizona Spousal Maintenance Guidelines (approved by the Arizona Supreme Court, effective June 30, 2023; revised effective September 1, 2025) — provide the detailed calculator methodology and duration ranges.
Last verified May 2026. Contact us if you notice outdated information.