Canada Spousal Support Calculator (SSAG)
Enter both incomes, how long you lived together, and the lower earner's age to see the advisory range for amount and duration under the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines. Free, instant, and calculated entirely in your browser; no sign-up.
The Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines are advisory, not law. They do not bind a court and they do not create a right to support. Entitlement must be established first. This tool produces an illustrative range only.
Advisory monthly range
$750 to $1,000
15% to 20% of the $60,000 gross income difference
Annual
$9,000 to $12,000
Duration
5 years to 10 years
- The SSAG are advisory only. They are not law and do not bind a court.
- This range assumes entitlement to spousal support has already been established. The SSAG do not create entitlement.
This estimator applies the SSAG without child support formula only, and assumes entitlement to spousal support has already been established. It deliberately does not compute the with child support formula, which works from each spouse's individual net disposable income and requires specialised software. The SSAG are advisory and produce ranges, not answers; courts depart from them regularly, and the figures here ignore tax treatment, debts, property division, and every fact specific to your case. This is general information, not legal advice, and RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm. Speak to a family lawyer in your province.
How the SSAG Work
The Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines are exactly that: advisory. Unlike the Federal Child Support Guidelines, which are binding regulation, the SSAG are not law and do not bind a judge. They were developed to bring consistency to a discretionary area, and courts use them as a cross-check on the Divorce Act section 15.2 analysis. Departures happen regularly.
Crucially, the SSAG do not create entitlement. Before any range matters, a spouse must establish entitlement on a compensatory, non-compensatory, or contractual basis. Only then do the formulas suggest a figure. See spousal support in Canada for how entitlement is decided.
This tool runs the without child support formula: the amount is 1.5% to 2% of the gross income difference for each year of cohabitation, capped at 50% of that difference, and duration runs 0.5 to 1 year per year of cohabitation. Support becomes indefinite (open-ended) where the spouses lived together for 20 years or more, or under the rule of 65, where years of cohabitation plus the recipient's age at separation reaches 65 and the relationship lasted at least five years.
What This Tool Will Not Do
It will not run the with child support formula. That formula works from each spouse's individual net disposable income after tax, benefits, and child support, and it cannot be reduced to an honest percentage in a browser. Where there are dependent children, child support is calculated first and takes priority, and family lawyers use specialised software for the rest. This tool tells you that rather than guessing. Start with our Canada child support calculator.
It also will not produce a range for de facto (unmarried) spouses in Quebec, because they have no statutory right to spousal support. The Supreme Court upheld that exclusion in Quebec (Attorney General) v A, 2013 SCC 5. Quebec's parental union regime, in force 30 June 2025, created property rights for de facto couples with a child born on or after that date, but it did not create spousal support. See common-law relationships in Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines legally binding?
No. The SSAG are advisory. They are not legislation and a court is not required to follow them, unlike the Federal Child Support Guidelines, which are binding regulation. Judges use the SSAG as a check on the Divorce Act analysis and depart from them where the circumstances justify it.
Does this calculator tell me whether I am entitled to spousal support?
No, and no calculator can. Entitlement is decided first, on a compensatory, non-compensatory, or contractual basis. The SSAG only suggest an amount and duration once entitlement has been established.
Why will it not calculate support when there are children?
Because the SSAG with child support formula works from each spouse’s individual net disposable income after tax, benefits, and child support, not from gross income. It is complex enough that practitioners use specialised software, so producing a simple number here would be misleading.
What does indefinite support mean?
It means no fixed end date is set at the time of the order, not that support lasts forever. Indefinite orders remain open to review or variation if circumstances change, such as retirement, re-partnering, or a material change in income.
Do common-law partners get spousal support in Canada?
In most provinces yes, once they meet the cohabitation threshold (for example three years in Ontario, two years in British Columbia). Quebec is the exception: de facto spouses there have no statutory right to spousal support.
Does this tool store what I enter?
No. All of the math runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved, transmitted, or used to contact you.
This estimator applies the SSAG without child support formula and is general information, not legal or financial advice. The SSAG are advisory and produce ranges; actual outcomes depend on entitlement, tax treatment, property division, and the full circumstances of the case. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm. Consult a family lawyer in your province.
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