Iowa Alimony Calculations to Get a Whole Lot Easier

It appears as though Iowa family law attorneys and litigants will no longer be left guessing on the issue of Iowa Alimony or spousal support.  Word on the street is that the Iowa Supreme Court has already put together an informal committee to explore adopting spousal support or alimony guidelines.  This latest development comes on the heals of the Court's landmark decision in In re the Marriage of Gust in January of 2015.  In Gust the top Iowa court noted that traditional alimony should generally be awarded for an indefinite period for all marriages in excess of twenty years.  The court went on to note that the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) alimony guidelines seemed just.  Under the AAML alimony guidelines traditional alimony is calculated by taking 30% of the payor's income and subtracting 20% of the payee's income.  However, a review of appellate court decisions in Iowa involving the issue of alimony tend to indicate that Iowa alimony awards are generally half of the amount dictated by the AAML guidelines.  Thus, expect the Iowa Spousal Support guidelines to come in lower than the American Association of Matrimonial Lawyers guidelines.  Guidelines like the AAML's have already been put in place in numerous states including Massachusetts and it appears as though Iowa will be next.