Vermont maintenance eligibility
Vermont requires threshold findings before the court reaches the advisory guideline.
Under 15 V.S.A. §752(a), the spouse requesting maintenance must lack sufficient income or property to provide for reasonable needs and be unable to support themselves through appropriate employment at the marital standard of living, or meet the child-custody circumstance in the statute.
Vermont maintenance guideline
Vermont uses advisory percentage and duration ranges based on marriage length.
Section 752(b)(9) lists advisory ranges using a percentage of the spouses' gross-income difference and a percentage of the marriage length. For example, a marriage of 10 to under 15 years uses 16% to 33% of the income difference and a duration of 40% to 60% of the marriage length.
The guideline is not presumptive or mandatory. Vermont courts consider it with financial resources, training needs, marital standard of living, age, health, ability to pay, inflation, retirement effects, and other statutory factors.
Questions about Vermont maintenance calculations.
Does Vermont have an alimony formula?
Vermont has statutory advisory maintenance ranges, not a binding formula. The court must consider the guideline but retains discretion over the final amount and duration.
What does Vermont use for a 15-year marriage?
For a marriage of 15 to under 20 years, the statutory guideline lists 20% to 37% of the gross-income difference and 40% to 70% of the marriage length.
Can a Vermont court award maintenance outside the guideline?
Yes. Vermont appellate decisions describe the guideline as advisory rather than presumptive, and the court considers all relevant statutory factors.
Vermont maintenance sources and calculator limits
Public-source check: September 6, 2026. Current calculator rules release: 0.18.0. This calculator shows the statutory advisory ranges only after an eligibility acknowledgment. It does not determine whether the §752(a) threshold is met or predict the court's final award and is not attorney reviewed.