For as long as I have practiced, the hardest question in a Maine divorce has been "how much spousal support, and for how long?" The statute gave judges a list of factors and no number for the amount. Two similar couples could walk out of two courtrooms with very different results.
That changes soon. In March 2026 the Governor signed "An Act to Establish Guidance for Awarding General Spousal Support" (Public Law 2025, chapter 571). It rewrites the general support part of Maine's spousal support statute, 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A, and for the first time puts a formula in it. The law applies to every case pending on or after January 1, 2027.
Here is what it says, in plain English.
It applies to "general" support
Maine has five kinds of spousal support: general, transitional, reimbursement, nominal and interim. The new formula applies to general support, the ongoing kind most people mean when they say alimony. The other four are still available, and the new law did not change their definitions.
The law also rewrites what general support is for. It exists to share fairly the financial losses of ending a marriage "of a significant length" when one household becomes two.
Two new definitions
Length of the marriage runs from the wedding date to the date the divorce is filed. It does not run to the date of the final hearing.
Spousal support income starts with gross income as Maine's child support law defines it. That definition is broad. It includes wages, bonuses, pensions, self-employment income after ordinary and necessary expenses, and more. If the couple has minor children, each spouse's figure is then reduced by what the child support worksheet shows that spouse paying or spending directly on the children.
Who is presumed to get support
A spouse is presumed entitled to general support when two things are true on the date the divorce is filed:
The marriage has lasted at least 10 years.
That spouse's spousal support income is 65% or less of the other spouse's.
For marriages shorter than 10 years, the law keeps the existing presumption that general support is not awarded.
How much
The presumed yearly amount is the difference between the two spousal support incomes, multiplied by a "durational factor." The factor is the number of years of the marriage times 0.015, and it can never be more than 0.3. A 20-year marriage reaches that cap.
An example. A couple files for divorce after 16 years. One spouse has spousal support income of $110,000, the other $50,000.
$50,000 is about 45% of $110,000, so the presumption applies.
The durational factor is 16 × 0.015 = 0.24.
The difference in incomes is $60,000.
$60,000 × 0.24 = $14,400 a year, or $1,200 a month.
The amount is figured by the year. The court can order it paid monthly, weekly or on another schedule.
How long
Under 10 years: presumed no general support.
10 to 20 years: presumed to last no longer than half the length of the marriage. In the example above, that is no more than 8 years.
More than 20 years: presumed to be awarded for an indefinite period. This presumption is new.
These are presumptions, not guarantees
Every one of these rules is "rebuttable." A judge can depart from the presumption after finding that following it would be inequitable or unjust. The judge must weigh the statutory factors and put the reasons in writing. It works in the other direction too: a judge can award general support in a case where the presumption says none, on a written finding that no award would cause a substantial injustice.
The factors themselves changed in three places:
New: whether the spouses' incomes are low enough or high enough that the formula produces an unjust result.
Reworked: whether spousal support combined with child support would be inequitable or unjust. This replaces an older child support factor.
Broadened: the consequences of dividing marital property, including the tax consequences. The old factor covered only tax consequences and singled out the sale of the marital home.
Expect most of the argument in contested cases to move here: what counts as each spouse's income, and whether the formula result is fair on the facts.
When child support is about to end
If child support will end within 3 years of the expected final judgment, the court may set a second general support award now that starts when child support stops. That lets the judgment account for the change without sending the parties back to court.
If you already have a spousal support order
The new formula does not reopen old orders by itself. For a general support award issued before January 1, 2027:
A court may not use the formula as the basis for finding the "substantial change in financial circumstances" needed to modify the award.
If a substantial change is shown some other way, and justice requires a modification, the court may then consider the formula in setting the new amount.
One wrinkle. Under the statute, orders issued on or after October 1, 2013 can be modified only on a substantial change in financial circumstances. Older orders can be modified when justice requires, unless the order says otherwise. How the new law works with those older orders has not been tested.
What to think about now
If you are thinking about divorce: the filing date matters more than it did. It fixes the length of the marriage, and it is the date the 65% comparison is made. Talk to a lawyer before you file, not after.
If your case is already filed: any case still open on January 1, 2027 is decided under the new law, no matter when it was filed. Ask your lawyer how that affects settlement.
If you are negotiating: run the formula before you negotiate. In my view, a number the statute presumes will carry real weight at mediation.
Either side: gather recent tax returns and current pay records. Income is now the center of the case.
Remember what a final judgment does: if a divorce judgment awards no spousal support, the statute says that forever bars an award in that case. That rule did not change.
If you have a contested divorce or a spousal support question in Maine, the first step with my office is a conflict check and a $750 case review. Request a case review. More on how I handle these cases is on my family law page.
This post is general information about Maine law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts, and the presumptions described here can be rebutted. The law is described as enacted and as posted by the Maine Legislature in November 2026. Matthew D. Lauzon is licensed to practice law in Maine.