Below you can see straight away what the receiving partner's need is, without an account. If you want the full calculation — with capacity, the financial balance check (jusvergelijking), duration and tax effects — you create a free account: name, email address and password, no Dutch citizen service number (BSN) and no payment details. What exactly is free and what the full PDF report costs is explained on the page Free maintenance calculation.
What is the need of the receiving partner?
When a lot comes at you at once, it helps to start somewhere. This is the need under the Hofnorm, looked up in our open 2026 Hofnorm needs table. The costs of the children come off that first — they take precedence.
What does that mean as an amount?
How is spousal maintenance calculated?
Spousal maintenance depends on two things: the need of the ex-partner and the capacity to pay of the payer.
- Needs (Hofnorm) — a rule of thumb used by the Dutch courts, not law: first the costs of the children are deducted from the net family income during the marriage, and 60% of what remains is the ex-partner's need. The court may depart from this, for instance on the basis of the actual expenses during the marriage.
- Capacity — how much can the payer spare after their own expenses and the full share in the children's costs (priority rule, art. 1:400 of the Dutch Civil Code)?
- Financial balance check (jusvergelijking) — a test that the recipient does not retain more than the payer; if needed the contribution is lowered.
The tax effects also count: spousal maintenance paid is deductible (at no more than the rate of the lowest tax bracket) and the recipient pays tax on it. That is why the net amount the recipient needs is converted into a gross amount — the gross-up. Alimentatie Inzicht does that automatically.
Example calculation
Simplified example, to illustrate the Hofnorm:
| Net family income | € 4,500 / month |
| Own share of child costs | – € 610 / month |
| Former partner's needs (60% Hofnorm) | € 2,334 / month |
| Recipient's own income | – € 1,500 / month |
| Indicative need for spousal maintenance | ± € 834 / month |
The amounts come from the 2026 Hofnorm needs table. The final outcome depends on capacity, the financial balance check (jusvergelijking) and tax grossing up — all calculated in full by the tool.
Frequently asked questions
How is spousal maintenance calculated?
Based on the needs (often via the Hofnorm: 60% of the net family income after deducting the costs of the children) and the payer's capacity, with a financial balance check (jusvergelijking) so that the recipient is not left with more than the payer.
How long do I have to pay spousal maintenance?
For divorce petitions filed from 1 January 2020: half the length of the marriage, with a maximum of 5 years. Exceptions apply for children under 12, for long marriages and when state pension age is approaching. For older cases the old rule of a maximum of 12 years applies.
What is the financial balance check?
A test (in Dutch: jusvergelijking) of whether the recipient retains more freely disposable income than the payer. If so, spousal maintenance is lowered to a comparable level.
Is spousal maintenance tax-deductible?
Yes, paid spousal maintenance is deductible (at no more than the rate of the lowest tax bracket) and the recipient pays tax on it. The tool handles these tax effects and the grossing up.
Has your situation changed? Recalculate your maintenance.