They want a number.
Not boring wording from a statute.
Not legal theory.
Just an answer to this question:
What is alimony likely to be in my case?
The challenge is that there is no real alimony calculator in New Jersey.
NJ does not have a real calculator
New Jersey law does not use a fixed formula for alimony.
A judge must consider 19 separate statutory factors, including:
• Income and earning ability
• Length of the marriage
• Standard of living
• Age and health
• Financial need
• Financial ability to pay
• Parental responsibilities
• And many others
That means alimony is supposed to be decided by human judgment, not by an app.
Any website offering a true “NJ Alimony Calculator” is not being honest.
How judges really decide alimony
When a judge decides alimony, the process is slow, detailed, and discretionary.
Budgets are reviewed line by line.
Expenses are adjusted.
Lifestyle is weighed.
Ability to earn is debated.
Sometimes judges get it right.
Sometimes people feel that they did not.
This process is expensive, uncertain, and emotionally exhausting.
And that is why most alimony cases settle without a judge ever deciding the number.
The unofficial shortcut almost everyone uses
To avoid trial, lawyers and mediators often turn to something informally known as:
The 25 Percent Formula
It works like this:
Take the difference between the two incomes.
Multiply that number by 25 percent.The result is used as a settlement starting point.
It certainly is not the law.
And it is not only not mandatory but the courts strongly disfavor this way of doing it.
But it is voluntarily widely used by lawyers and mediators (not judges) nonetheless because it is simple and predictable.
The decision most people never realize they are making
At some point, every alimony case quietly turns into this choice:
• Do I let a judge decide my number?
• Or do I negotiate using a shortcut formula?
Neither path guarantees fairness.
Neither path guarantees safety.
What matters is:
• How your income is presented
• How your needs are framed
• How your future is projected
• And how risk is managed
Handled well, settlement can outperform trial for both sides.
Handled poorly, either path can lock you into years of regret.
The truth most people deserve to hear
There is no calculator that can tell you your future.
And no lawyer can guarantee:
• A specific dollar amount
• A specific duration
• Or a specific outcome
Judges decide alimony based on proof, not formulas.
What can be controlled is:
• Strategy
• Documentation
• Negotiation leverage
• And timing
And those things shape outcomes far more than any online calculator ever could.
I have handled NJ alimony cases for 37 years
For 37 years,
I have represented both payors and recipients in New Jersey alimony cases.
I have seen formula settlements succeed.
I have seen them fail.
And I have seen trials change financial lives forever.
If alimony will affect your future, you deserve to understand how the numbers are really built.
I get it.
And I am here to help.
The next step
If you want to understand how alimony might be decided in your case, I invite you to start with education.
My free NJ Divorce Course explains alimony, custody, money, and strategy in plain English.
There are no guarantees in court.
But there is knowledge, preparation, and leverage.
And sometimes, that changes everything.
Steve
Steven J. Kaplan, Esq.
Specializing In Divorce
Throughout New Jersey
5 Professional Circle
Colts Neck, NJ 07722
(732) 845-9010
www.KaplanDivorce.com
