Arizona Child Support & Alimony Calculator
Free estimates under the 2022 Arizona Child Support Guidelines (income-shares model) and the current 2025 Arizona Spousal Maintenance Guidelines (Administrative Order No. 2025-101, effective September 1, 2025). Runs entirely in your browser — your numbers never touch our server.
Arizona applies the same guidelines in divorce and legal separation cases — these estimates work for both.
Child support estimate
Arizona uses an income-shares model: we estimate what an intact family at the parents' combined income would spend on the children, allocate that obligation in proportion to each parent's income, then adjust for parenting time and direct payments. This estimator mirrors the official worksheet step-by-step.
Spousal maintenance (alimony) estimate
Arizona awards spousal maintenance only when the requesting spouse meets one of the five eligibility prongs in A.R.S. § 25-319(A). The current 2025 Guidelines (A.O. 2025-101) then produce a presumptive amount range and a duration set as a proportion of the marriage length. This estimator approximates the range; the official calculator uses Consumer Expenditure Survey schedules.
About these estimates
Child support
Implements the 2022 Arizona Child Support Guidelines (effective Jan 1, 2022): income-shares model, parenting-time adjustment table (0–19 days = 0%, scaling up to 50% for 164+ days), older-child adjustment (+10% per child age 12+), and the self-support reserve (80% of monthly minimum-wage earnings, ≈ $1,818 in 2026).
The Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations is approximated with a calibrated income-percentage curve and tested against published anchors. The official Maricopa County calculator at azcourts.gov is the authoritative tool.
Spousal maintenance
Implements the current 2025 AZ Spousal Maintenance Guidelines (Administrative Order No. 2025-101, effective Sept 1, 2025): duration is a proportional 30–50% of the marriage length, with a maximum for marriages of 16+ years of 12 years (144 months) or 50% of the marriage, whichever is greater, plus the Rule of 65 carve-out for older recipients. Amount range uses a directional heuristic (20–30% of the annual income gap) — not the official worksheet formula.
The 2025 revisions also removed the mortgage-principal input from the amount calculation, raised the high-income adjustment threshold from $100,000 to $175,000 of combined income, and lowered the maximum high-income adjustment from 80% to 70% (amount-side changes the official worksheet applies; this directional tool does not). Orders entered before Sept 1, 2025 were governed by the 2023 Guidelines (which capped 16+-year marriages at 8 years). The official calculator at azcourts.gov uses Consumer Expenditure Survey schedules and is authoritative. Directional estimate — flagged for attorney review.
How is child support calculated in Arizona?
Arizona calculates child support with the income-shares model under the 2022 Arizona Child Support Guidelines (effective January 1, 2022). The court combines both parents' gross monthly incomes, looks up the basic support obligation an intact family at that income would spend on the children, splits that obligation between the parents in proportion to their incomes, and then adjusts for parenting time, older children, and who actually pays insurance and childcare. This calculator mirrors that worksheet:
- Adjust each parent's income — gross monthly income, shifted by any spousal maintenance paid between the parents.
- Find the basic obligation — from the Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations for the combined income (capped at $30,000/month) and number of children.
- Apply the older-child adjustment — add 10% of the per-child amount for each child age 12 or older.
- Add the add-ons — children's medical/dental/vision insurance premiums, work-related childcare, and extraordinary education or special-needs costs.
- Split in proportion to income — each parent is responsible for their percentage of the combined obligation.
- Subtract the parenting-time credit — the paying parent's share is reduced by a percentage of the basic obligation based on their annual parenting-time days (table below).
- Check the Self-Support Reserve — the order is capped so the paying parent keeps at least 80% of full-time minimum-wage earnings (≈ $1,818/month in 2026 at Arizona's $15.15/hour minimum wage).
Arizona parenting-time adjustment table (2022 Guidelines)
The credit is a percentage of the basic obligation, by the paying parent's annual parenting-time days. Arizona counts a 12–23 hour block as 1 day and a 6–11 hour block as ½ day. About 90 days ≈ every other weekend plus two weeks in summer; about 180 days ≈ equal 50/50 time.
| Parenting-time days / year | Adjustment (% of basic obligation) |
|---|---|
| 0 – 19 | 0% |
| 20 – 34 | 2.5% |
| 35 – 49 | 5% |
| 50 – 69 | 7.5% |
| 70 – 84 | 10% |
| 85 – 99 | 15% |
| 100 – 114 | 17.5% |
| 115 – 129 | 20% |
| 130 – 142 | 25% |
| 143 – 152 | 32.5% |
| 153 – 163 | 40% |
| 164+ | 50% |
How is spousal maintenance (alimony) calculated in Arizona?
Arizona spousal maintenance is a two-step analysis. First, the requesting spouse must qualify under one of the five eligibility grounds in A.R.S. § 25-319(A) (for example, lacking sufficient property or earning ability to be self-sufficient). Second, the current 2025 Arizona Spousal Maintenance Guidelines (Arizona Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 2025-101, effective September 1, 2025) produce a presumptive amount range and a duration set as a proportion of the marriage length. The 2025 Guidelines replaced the prior 2023 categorical duration bands with a continuous formula: presumptive duration is 30% to 50% of the marriage length (in months). For marriages of 16 years or more, the maximum is 12 years (144 months) or 50% of the marriage length, whichever is greater, unless the Rule of 65 applies. Example presumptive duration ranges under the formula:
| Length of marriage | Presumptive duration (30–50% of length) |
|---|---|
| 2 years | 7 – 12 months |
| 5 years | 18 – 30 months |
| 10 years | 36 – 60 months (3 – 5 years) |
| 15 years | 54 – 90 months (4.5 – 7.5 years) |
| 16 years | 58 – 144 months (max raised to the 12-year cap) |
| 20 years | 72 – 144 months (12-year cap) |
| 25 years | 90 – 150 months (50% > 12 years) |
| 30 years | 108 – 180 months (15 years = 50%) |
Duration figures are computed from the 30–50% formula and the 16+-year 12-year/50% cap; the court positions the award within the range based on the A.R.S. § 25-319(B) factors. Verified against azcourts.gov (A.O. 2025-101) and the State Bar of Arizona Family Law News (Summer 2025). Directional only — confirm against the official azcourts.gov worksheet.
The Rule of 65 is a carve-out for long marriages, unchanged by the 2025 revisions: when the requesting spouse is at least 42 years old, the marriage lasted at least 16 years, and the spouse's age plus the years of marriage totals 65 or more, the court sets duration case-by-case and may order maintenance beyond the standard cap. On the amount side, the 2025 revisions removed the mortgage-principal input from the calculation, raised the high-income adjustment threshold from $100,000 to $175,000 of combined income, and lowered the maximum high-income adjustment from 80% to 70%. Orders entered before September 1, 2025 are governed by the 2023 Guidelines (categorical bands that capped 16+-year marriages at 8 years).
Estimating support is usually the first step in an Arizona divorce. If you and your spouse agree on terms, Doctrine Legal prepares and files uncontested Arizona divorce paperwork for a flat $699, with every document reviewed and signed by an Arizona-barred attorney.
Arizona child support & alimony calculator — FAQ
Attorney-reviewed general information about how Arizona support estimates work — not legal advice for your specific case.
How is child support calculated in Arizona?
Arizona uses the income-shares model under the 2022 Arizona Child Support Guidelines (effective January 1, 2022). Both parents' gross monthly incomes are combined, a basic support obligation is read from the state schedule, and that obligation is divided between the parents in proportion to their incomes. The result is then adjusted for the paying parent's annual parenting-time days, children age 12 or older (+10% per child), and add-ons such as medical insurance premiums, work-related childcare, and extraordinary education costs. A self-support reserve protects low-income paying parents. Only an Arizona court can set the final amount.
Does 50/50 custody mean no child support in Arizona?
Not necessarily. Equal parenting time (about 180+ days a year each) earns the largest parenting-time adjustment — 50% of the basic obligation at 164 or more days — but if the parents' incomes differ, the higher earner usually still pays some support, because Arizona splits the obligation in proportion to each parent's income. Equal time combined with roughly equal incomes is what typically produces a $0 or near-$0 transfer.
How are parenting-time days counted for Arizona child support?
The 2022 Guidelines count a block of 12–23 hours with a parent as one day, and a block of 6–11 hours as a half day. As reference points: roughly 90 days per year corresponds to an every-other-weekend schedule plus two weeks in summer, and roughly 180 days corresponds to equal 50/50 parenting time. The adjustment ranges from 0% (0–19 days) up to 50% of the basic obligation (164+ days).
What is the self-support reserve in Arizona child support?
The self-support reserve protects a paying parent's basic ability to support themselves. It equals 80% of full-time monthly earnings at the Arizona minimum wage — approximately $1,818 per month in 2026 at the $15.15/hour minimum wage. If a guideline calculation would leave the paying parent with less than the reserve, the support amount is reduced accordingly.
How is spousal maintenance (alimony) calculated in Arizona?
In two steps. First, the requesting spouse must qualify under one of the five eligibility grounds in A.R.S. § 25-319(A). Second, the current 2025 Arizona Spousal Maintenance Guidelines (Administrative Order No. 2025-101, effective September 1, 2025) produce a presumptive amount range and a duration set as 30–50% of the marriage length. This calculator approximates the amount as 20–30% of the gross income gap between the spouses, a directional heuristic; the official Arizona court calculator computes the presumptive range using Consumer Expenditure Survey spending schedules. Orders entered before September 1, 2025 were governed by the 2023 Guidelines.
How long does spousal maintenance last in Arizona?
Under the current 2025 Guidelines (Administrative Order No. 2025-101, effective September 1, 2025), duration is a proportional 30–50% of the marriage length in months — for example, a 10-year marriage is about 36–60 months and a 15-year marriage about 54–90 months. For marriages of 16 years or more, the maximum is 12 years (144 months) or 50% of the marriage length, whichever is greater, so a 20-year marriage maxes around 12 years and a 30-year marriage around 15 years. The Rule of 65 can support a longer, case-by-case award. Orders entered before September 1, 2025 were governed by the 2023 Guidelines, which capped 16+-year marriages at 8 years.
What is the Rule of 65 in Arizona spousal maintenance?
The Rule of 65 applies when the requesting spouse is at least 42 years old, the marriage lasted at least 16 years, and the spouse's age plus the years of marriage equals 65 or more. When it applies, the Guidelines recognize that retraining and re-entering the workforce may be unrealistic, which supports a maintenance duration above the standard band for long marriages.
Is this calculator free, and is it the official Arizona calculator?
The calculator is completely free, requires no account, and runs entirely in your browser — your income and family details are never sent to our server. It is not the official court tool: it produces directional educational estimates, not legal advice. The Arizona Judicial Branch's official calculators at azcourts.gov and the Maricopa County Superior Court calculator are the authoritative tools, and only an Arizona court can order child support or spousal maintenance.