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Divorce Spousal Support Calculator: An Alimony Formula Resource

UPDATE: There is pending legislation for major changes to the alimony statute in Massachusetts. The Alimony Reform Act of 2011 was filed on January 18, 2011 and you can learn more about the Act at MassAlimonyFormula.com or in our recent blog post highlighting the differences between the bill and the current law.

The Stevenson-Kelsey Spousal Support Calculator has been renamed. It will now be known as the Divorce Spousal Support Calculator: An Alimony Formula Resource.

We are hoping that this name change will reflect our intention that the calculator be used by everyone to evaluate the reasonableness of alimony proposals in divorce cases. In keeping with that goal, we have also updated the latest calculator worksheet and article to include statutes from both Texas and Maine relating to alimony.

In addition, the article contains reference to the latest debate in Massachusetts surrounding a House and Senate bill both proposing changes to the current Massachusetts statute relating to alimony. Thank you to everyone who has provided us with support in keeping this calculator updated with the latest developments in alimony.

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