Alimony Calculator Iowa

A Short Guide to the Alimony Calculator in Iowa

What is an Iowa alimony calculator?

An alimony calculator is intended to estimate alimony payments using a court-derived formula. Unfortunately, though it’d be useful, no Iowa alimony calculator exists. The laws in the state are simply too loose and there is too much freedom given to judges in deciding alimony amounts.

However, enough information exists on the subject for a competent individual to better understand and anticipate their alimony order, simulating the effects of an alimony calculator for Iowa.

What factors influence an Iowa alimony calculator?

Iowa Code Statute 598.21A defines the different factors that a judge should consider in making an alimony order. You can read it here:

For your own Iowa alimony calculator, ask yourself these Code-derived questions. The more you answer “Yes,” the higher the alimony award is likely to be.

1. Did your marriage last seven years or longer? Fifteen years? Twenty years?

2. Is the lower-income spouse fifty or older?

3. Is the lower-income spouse physically or emotionally capable of employment?

4. Was the higher-income spouse better provided for in the Marital Agreement’s division of property?

5. Did the lower-income spouse have a moderate level of education that went uncapitalized because of domestic duties?

6. Did the education levels of either spouse increase during the marriage?

7. Is the earning capacity of the lower-income spouse low? Consider educational background, training, work experience, length of absence from the job market, and what education or training is needed to become employable.

8. Is it feasible for the lower-income spouse to become financially independent?

9. Will the payer of alimony benefit from these payments from a taxation standpoint?

10. Has there been no pre-nuptial or marital agreement limiting potential alimony awards?

11. Has either spouse ever been promised financial contributions by the other?

What types of support does an Iowa alimony calculator estimate?

Though in common conversation we often just refer to the concept of “alimony,” the truth is that it is a complicated legal concept with multiple meanings. Here are a few of the different types of spousal support that an Iowa alimony calculator may help us estimate. Try and figure out which type is most likely to be awarded in your situation.

1. Temporary alimony—This order is based on the marital standard of living and lasts only from the time it is ordered until the time that a divorce becomes finalized.

2. Periodic or permanent alimony—Periodic alimony is usually paid monthly for a set period of time. It is meant to help an individual keep a reasonable standard of living when their income doesn’t necessarily allow for this.

3. Rehabilitative alimony—This is meant to help one spouse seek education so as to become self-sufficient. It is the most common type of alimony today and usually lasts roughly three years.

4. Reimbursement alimony—Judges will award this to individuals who pay for their spouse’s education during a marriage.