About the Canada Spousal Support Calculator
This Canada spousal support calculator applies the Without Child Support Formula from the federal Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG). It takes both spouses’ gross annual incomes, the length of the marriage or cohabitation and the recipient’s age at separation, and returns the low, mid and high monthly support amounts together with the duration range the guidelines suggest.
It is meant for separating spouses with no dependent children, mediators and anyone preparing for a first meeting with a family lawyer. The guidelines are advisory, not legislated, but Canadian courts and lawyers use them as the usual starting point once entitlement to support is established, so knowing the range helps you judge whether an offer is reasonable.
Assumptions: there are no children for whom child support is paid (families with children use the more complex With Child Support Formula, which needs a net-income calculation), incomes are Line 15000-style gross incomes, and the result is a guideline range only. The guidelines also cap the high end at equalization of net incomes; this calculator uses the User’s Guide’s 48%-of-gross-difference estimate of that cap, so for relationships of 24 years or more an exact net-income calculation may give a slightly different high end.
With the default inputs, the mid-range monthly support is $875.00. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the canada spousal support calculator
- 1Enter both spouses’ gross yearly incomes.
- 2Enter the length of the relationship, counting cohabitation before marriage.
- 3Enter the recipient’s age at the date of separation.
- 4Read the low, mid and high monthly amounts and the duration range.
- 5Use the table to see how the range changes with the length of the relationship.
Formula and method
Under the SSAG Without Child Support Formula, the amount range is 1.5% to 2% of the difference between the spouses’ gross incomes for each year of marriage or cohabitation. The percentage stops rising at 25 years, where the range would be 37.5% to 50% of the gross income difference; because the high end may never leave the recipient with more than half of the couple’s net income, it is capped here at 48%, the estimate the SSAG Revised User’s Guide accepts for that net-income equalization cap. The monthly figure is the annual amount divided by 12, and the mid-point is the average of the low and high ends.
Duration is 0.5 to 1 year of support for each year of cohabitation. It becomes indefinite (no specified end date) when the relationship lasted 20 years or more, or when it lasted at least 5 years and the recipient’s age at separation plus the years of cohabitation equals 65 or more — the “rule of 65”. The guidelines treat $20,000 of payer income as a floor below which support is generally not payable, allow an exception for payer incomes between $20,000 and $30,000, and treat $350,000 as a ceiling above which the formula is no longer presumptive.
- G₁, G₂
- Gross yearly income of the higher and lower earner
- Y
- Years of marriage or cohabitation
- Age
- Recipient’s age at separation
Worked examples
$100k vs $40k, 10 years together
The gross income difference is $60,000. Ten years gives 15% to 20% of the difference: $9,000 to $12,000 a year, or $750 to $1,000 a month. Duration is 5 to 10 years because the relationship is under 20 years and 40 + 10 is below 65.
$150k vs $30k, 22-year marriage
The difference is $120,000 and 22 years gives 33% to 44%: $39,600 to $52,800 a year, or $3,300 to $4,400 a month. Because the marriage lasted 20 years or more, duration is indefinite.
Rule of 65: 12 years, recipient aged 55
A $60,000 difference at 18% to 24% gives $10,800 to $14,400 a year, or $900 to $1,200 a month. The recipient’s age (55) plus 12 years equals 67, so the rule of 65 makes the duration indefinite even though the marriage was under 20 years.
30-year marriage: the 48% cap applies
The gross difference is $100,000. Past 25 years the low end stops at 37.5% ($37,500 a year, $3,125 a month), and the high end is capped at the 48% estimate of net-income equalization ($48,000 a year, $4,000 a month) rather than 50%. Duration is indefinite.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines the law in Canada?+
No. The SSAG are advisory, not legislated like the Federal Child Support Guidelines. Courts are not bound by them, but they are widely used by judges, lawyers and mediators across Canada (with some variation in Quebec) as the starting point once entitlement is found.
Does the calculator decide whether I am entitled to spousal support?+
No. The formulas only apply after entitlement is established, which depends on compensatory, non-compensatory (needs-based) or contractual grounds. If there is no entitlement, there is no support regardless of the formula result.
What is the rule of 65?+
If the relationship lasted at least 5 years and the recipient’s age at separation plus the years of cohabitation equals 65 or more, the SSAG suggest indefinite duration. For example, a 58-year-old after a 10-year marriage would qualify.
Where in the range will a court set support?+
Location in the range depends on factors such as the strength of a compensatory claim, the recipient’s needs, the payor’s ability to pay, work incentives and property division. Many settlements land near the middle, which is why the mid-range figure is shown as the headline.
What if we have children?+
When child support is being paid, the With Child Support Formula applies instead. It works on individual net disposable income after child support and taxes, so it needs software or a lawyer’s calculation and usually yields different amounts than this formula.
Is spousal support taxable in Canada?+
Periodic spousal support paid under a written agreement or court order is generally deductible to the payer and taxable to the recipient; lump-sum payments usually are not. That is why the SSAG use gross incomes for this formula.
Results are general estimates and not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction — consult a qualified attorney.