Ontario Spousal Support Calculator 2026
Estimate spousal support (alimony) under the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG). This tool provides a range estimate — consult a family lawyer for your specific situation.
This estimate uses the SSAG without-child formula: 1.5–2% of income difference per year of cohabitation. With children, amounts differ significantly. Duration is 0.5–1 year per year of cohabitation. These are advisory ranges — courts have full discretion.
How Spousal Support Works in Ontario
Either spouse may be entitled to support after a marriage or common-law relationship of some duration. Entitlement can be compensatory (career sacrifice), non-compensatory (need), or contractual.
Without children: 1.5–2% of income difference × years cohabited per year. With children: Calculated after child support, based on net disposable income sharing (40–46%).
Spousal support is deductible by the payor and taxable to the recipient when paid under a written agreement or court order. Child support has opposite treatment (not deductible/taxable).
⚠️ The Guidelines are advisory, not law
The Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG) are not legislation. No judge is bound by them and no spouse is entitled to a number simply because a formula produces one. They were developed to bring consistency to an area that was previously unpredictable, and courts across Canada now use them as a starting point — but a starting point is all they are.
This matters because the SSAG produce a range, not a figure. Where a case lands inside that range — low, middle or high — depends on facts a calculator cannot see: the length of the relationship, each spouse's age and health, who gave up career progression, the standard of living during the marriage, and whether either party has repartnered. Treat the output here as a way to know roughly what territory you are in before you speak to a lawyer, not as an answer.
The two formulas, and why they differ so much
The SSAG contain two entirely separate calculations, and which one applies turns on a single question: are there dependent children?
Support is 1.5% to 2% of the gross income difference for each year of cohabitation, capped at 50%. A ten-year marriage with a $60,000 income gap produces a range of roughly 15% to 20% of that gap. Duration runs about 0.5 to 1 year of support for each year of cohabitation — and becomes indefinite where the marriage lasted 20 years or more, or where the "rule of 65" is met (marriage length plus the recipient's age totalling 65 or more).
Far more complex, and it does not work from gross income at all. It calculates each parent's net disposable income after child support, tax, and credits, then divides the pool so the recipient household lands in a target range. Because child support is deducted first and always takes priority, the spousal figure is often much lower than the childless formula would suggest — sometimes zero. Reproducing this properly requires specialised software such as DivorceMate; any free calculator, including this one, is an approximation.
Entitlement comes first
A number from any calculator is meaningless until entitlement is established, and entitlement is a legal question decided before quantum. Canadian courts recognise three bases: compensatory (one spouse's earning capacity suffered from the roles adopted during the relationship — the classic case being a parent who left the workforce), non-compensatory or needs-based (one spouse simply cannot meet reasonable needs after separation), and contractual (a marriage contract or separation agreement provides for it).
If none applies, there may be no support at all regardless of the income gap. Two spouses who both worked throughout a short marriage, with no career sacrifice on either side, may generate a substantial SSAG range and still have no entitlement.
Tax treatment — the part people miss
Periodic spousal support is tax-deductible to the payer and taxable income to the recipient, provided it is paid under a written agreement or court order. This is the opposite of child support, which is neither deductible nor taxable. It also means the headline figure overstates what the recipient keeps and overstates what the payer actually gives up.
A lump-sum payment is treated differently again: it is generally neither deductible nor taxable. That changes the arithmetic completely, which is why a lump sum is rarely a simple multiplication of the monthly figure. Get tax advice before agreeing to one — and note that support must be paid under a written agreement or order to be deductible at all. Informal payments between separated spouses generally are not.
Spousal Support — Frequently Asked Questions
No. They are advisory. Courts use them as a starting point and typically award within the range, but a judge can depart from them.
1.5%–2% of the gross income difference per year of cohabitation, capped at 50%, with duration of 0.5–1 year per year of cohabitation.
Generally where the marriage lasted 20 years or more, or under the rule of 65 — years of marriage plus the recipient's age reaching 65.
Periodic support is deductible to the payer and taxable to the recipient under a written agreement or order. Lump sums generally are neither. Child support is neither.
Child support is calculated first and takes priority. The with-child formula then divides net disposable income, which often leaves a much smaller spousal figure — sometimes nothing.
This is general information, not legal advice. Spousal support outcomes depend on entitlement, the specific facts of your relationship, and provincial and federal law. Speak to a family lawyer before agreeing to or relying on any figure. Most provinces have legal aid and family law information centres that offer free initial guidance.