Pennsylvania Alimony Calculator

Alimony Pendente Lite (APL) is temporary support paid during the divorce process itself — from filing until the final decree. Post-divorce alimony begins after the divorce is finalized and requires a separate finding under §3701. Many counties apply a local guideline formula for APL (often a percentage of the income differential), but post-divorce alimony is purely discretionary.

There is no statutory limit. Courts set duration based on the 17 factors, with a focus on whether the recipient can become self-supporting. Shorter marriages with younger spouses tend to produce shorter awards; long marriages with a stay-at-home spouse may result in extended support.

The 17 factors under §3701(b) include: earning capacity of each party, sources of income, age and health, length of marriage, contributions to the other's education or earning power, marital standard of living, whether the recipient will be custodian of a minor child, and whether the recipient contributed as homemaker.

Fault in the marriage breakdown is one of the 17 factors but it is not dispositive. Pennsylvania courts may consider marital misconduct but it does not automatically grant or bar alimony.