Quick answer: Mississippi has no alimony statute with a formula. Under Miss. Code § 93-5-23, when a divorce is decreed the court may, in its discretion, having regard to the circumstances of the parties and the nature of the case, as may seem equitable and just, make orders about the maintenance and alimony of the wife or husband. The Mississippi Supreme Court’s Armstrong factors guide the chancellor: the income and expenses of the parties; their health and earning capacities; their needs; their obligations and assets; the length of the marriage; the presence of minor children in the home; age; the standard of living; the tax consequences of the order; fault or misconduct; wasteful dissipation of assets; and any other factor that is just and equitable. The court first divides the property, because the division may meet a spouse’s needs and remove the need for alimony. The forms are periodic (ends on death of either spouse or the recipient’s remarriage), rehabilitative and lump-sum (a final settlement that cannot be modified absent fraud).
What this calculator shows
The calculator builds a monthly ceiling from the shortfall and the other spouse’s ability to pay, and shows how each form of alimony ends and whether it can be modified. It does not predict an award. The factors are in the Armstrong factors, the forms in periodic, lump-sum and rehabilitative alimony and changing or ending alimony in modifying and ending alimony.
Property, child support and alimony
The chancellor divides the marital property before deciding on alimony. See the Mississippi property division calculator and the Mississippi child support calculator.
Alimony across Mississippi
The statute and case law apply in every Mississippi chancery court, from Jackson, Gulfport, Southaven, Hattiesburg, Biloxi or Meridian. Fault is one of the factors, and the court considers it with the others.
Frequently asked questions
How is alimony calculated in Mississippi?
There is no formula. The chancellor decides in his or her discretion what is equitable and just, guided by the Armstrong factors.
Does fault affect Mississippi alimony?
Yes. Fault or misconduct is one of the Armstrong factors, weighed with the others.
Does remarriage end Mississippi alimony?
Periodic alimony ends automatically on the death of the payer or the death or remarriage of the recipient. Lump-sum alimony is not ended by remarriage.
Can Mississippi alimony be modified?
Periodic alimony can be modified on an unanticipated, material change in circumstances; lump-sum alimony is a final settlement that cannot be modified absent fraud.
Does property division come before alimony in Mississippi?
Yes. The court divides the property first, and a division that meets both parties' needs may leave no need for alimony.