How Is Spousal Maintenance Calculated in Arizona — And How Does It Affect Child Support?

In Arizona divorces, two of the biggest financial questions are:

1. Will one spouse pay spousal maintenance (frequently referred to as alimony)?
2. Will one parent pay child support and how much will be ordered?

These two issues are closely connected — and understanding how spousal maintenance is calculated can help you anticipate how it might affect your child support obligations (or rights).

Let’s break it down.

What Is Spousal Maintenance in Arizona?

Spousal maintenance is financial support that one spouse pays to the other after a divorce. It’s not automatic — the court first decides if one spouse qualifies, and if so, how much and for how long they should pay.

What Factors Determine Spousal Maintenance?

Arizona law (A.R.S. § 25-319) lays out two main steps:

Step 1: Does One Spouse Qualify?

The court considers whether the requesting spouse:

• Lacks enough property or income to meet their reasonable needs
• Cannot support themselves through work or must stay home with a young or disabled child
• Contributed to the other spouse’s education or career
• Had a long marriage and is now of an age making it difficult to become self-sufficient

If none of these apply, spousal maintenance usually won’t be awarded. In this situation, you skip Step 2 because it is not relevant.

Step 2: How Much and How Long?

If the court decides one spouse qualifies, it looks at:

• Standard of living during the marriage
• Length of the marriage
• Age, employment history, earning ability, and physical/emotional condition of both spouses
• Contributions to the marriage, including homemaking
• Financial resources and property of each spouse
• Ability of the paying spouse to meet their own needs while paying

Arizona used to have no formal formula to calculate spousal maintenance. Judges previously were required to review the evidence presented at trial and evaluate it based on various factors listed in A.R.S. 25-319(B). In the past, you could have presented the same evidence to 10 different judges and received 10 different outcomes. Most of the results would have been similar, but the difference between the "best" and "worst" outcomes (depending on your perspective) could have been significant.

Because of this, the Arizona legislature passed a law requiring the courts to create a formula for calculating spousal maintenance. The goal was to create consistency so that similar circumstances would produce similar results and depend less on the specific judge deciding your case. A formula was created and went into effect for all divorces started after September 24, 2022. This formula is known as the Arizona Spousal Maintenance Guidelines. These guidelines can be used to estimate a support range with a low, medium, and high range for both amount and duration. You can create a calculation online. Although it was created by the Maricopa County Superior Court, all counties in Arizona currently use it.

Unlike child support, judges have more discretion to vary from the amount based on the calculation, so it is still necessary to provide evidence for the factors listed in A.R.S. 25-319. It is important to remember that the law for spousal maintenance in Arizona did not change - it simply has a formula that can be used to create presumptions about how much spousal maintenance should be awarded and for how long. The goal here was to create more consistency across the state.

How Does Spousal Maintenance Affect Child Support?

Here’s where it connects.

Child support in Arizona is calculated using a formula under the Arizona Child Support Guidelines. The guidelines and an online calculation can be found here. This formula factors in:

• Each parent’s gross monthly income
• Parenting time (overnights)
• Health insurance and childcare costs
• And spousal maintenance paid or received

That last part is key:

• If you pay spousal maintenance, your income for child support is reduced (because you have less available income).
• If you receive spousal maintenance, your income for child support is increased (because you now have more support income).

This can meaningfully change the final child support numbers.

An Example

Let’s say:

• Parent A earns $6,000/month; Parent B earns $2,000/month.
• The court orders Parent A to pay Parent B $1,000/month in spousal maintenance.

For the child support calculation, Parent A’s income would be reduced to $5,000/month, and Parent B’s income would be increased to $3,000/month.

This balances the child support calculation, reflecting the actual household resources on both sides. Unlike spousal maintenance, a judge has limited ability to vary from the child support amount produced by the calculation.

Why You Need an Experienced Arizona Family Law Attorney

Spousal maintenance and child support are deeply interconnected. A change in one often affects the other. At Larson Law Office, we help you understand:

• Whether you or your spouse might qualify for spousal maintenance
• How support payments will affect your overall finances
• What strategies can help protect your long-term financial future

Need Help With Spousal Maintenance or Child Support?

We’re here to help you navigate Arizona’s complex divorce and family law system.

Schedule a free consultation today:
Larson Law Office | 480-459-6080 | www.larsonlawaz.com/book-a-call