Updated September 1, 2026. Quick answer: Massachusetts generally limits alimony to the recipient's need or 30% to 35% of the parties' gross-income difference, whichever is lower, outside reimbursement alimony or a justified deviation.
This page is limited to the controlling Massachusetts alimony rule captured below. It does not substitute a generic gray-divorce checklist for the state-specific answer.
The state rule that changes the answer
- Massachusetts generally limits alimony to the recipient's need or 30% to 35% of the parties' gross-income difference, whichever is lower, outside reimbursement alimony or a justified deviation.
- The income calculation excludes capital gains, dividends, and interest derived from assets equitably divided between the parties.
- The factors include marriage length, party age and health, income and employability, marital lifestyle, and lost economic opportunity from the marriage.
Build the later-life review sheet
Copy each factor, threshold, formula, or procedure named in the controlling section into a separate field before comparing possible support structures. Do not add an input the source does not name.
Label each entry as eligibility, amount, duration, termination, or required finding, as applicable. That keeps a threshold rule from being presented as a guaranteed result.
Keep adjacent divorce questions with their owners
This page does not restate property-division, QDRO or pension, Social Security or Medicare, estate, divorce-statistics, or debt content.
Primary source and verification
The controlling source used here is Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 208, § 53. Confirm the current official text and the facts of the order before acting; this is a source-backed planning guide, not individualized legal advice.