Recent and notable changes to divorce, alimony, child support, and custody laws across the United States. Laws change. This page tracks what changed, when, and what it means for people divorcing now.
21 tracked changes
20 states covered
Last reviewed June 2026
Major Law Changes
These changes significantly affect divorce outcomes and costs. If your state is listed here, read the summary carefully.
CustodyMaryland
Major Change
Maryland Adopts Joint Custody Presumption
Effective October 1, 2025
Maryland SB 521 and HB 1191, effective October 1, 2025, established a rebuttable presumption that joint legal and joint physical custody, with approximately equal parenting time, is in the best interest of the child.
What this means for you
Maryland custody cases now start from a shared-parenting baseline. A parent seeking primary or sole custody must rebut the presumption, and the court must document its reasons for any deviation.
Missouri SB 35, effective August 28, 2023, created a rebuttable presumption that equal or approximately equal parenting time is in the best interest of the child (RSMo 452.375).
What this means for you
Missouri custody cases now begin from a 50/50 baseline. A parent opposing equal time must rebut the presumption with specific evidence, such as documented domestic violence or an agreed parenting schedule.
Florida HB 1301 eliminated permanent alimony for all divorce cases finalized after July 1, 2023. The law caps alimony duration based on marriage length: no more than 50 percent of marriage length for short-term marriages (under 10 years), no more than 60 percent for moderate-term marriages (10 to 20 years), and no more than 75 percent for long-term marriages (over 20 years).
What this means for you
Anyone divorcing in Florida after July 2023 will receive or pay time-limited alimony only. Recipients who expected permanent alimony in long marriages will receive less total support than under prior law.
Florida HB 1301 also established a rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing (50/50) is in the best interest of the child. Courts must begin from an equal parenting time assumption and document specific findings to deviate from it. This represents a significant shift from Florida's prior best-interest analysis that carried no presumption.
What this means for you
Parents divorcing in Florida now start from an equal parenting time baseline. If you want more than 50 percent parenting time, you need documented evidence of why equal time is not appropriate for your child.
The 2025 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines, effective December 1, 2025, raised the combined parental income run through the formula from $400,000 to $450,000 per year, increased the reasonable child care benchmark from $355 to $430 per week per child, and for the first time addressed children with more than two legal parents.
What this means for you
New Massachusetts child support orders reflect the higher income threshold and child care figures, which can change support amounts for higher-income families.
Maryland SB 521 and HB 1191, effective October 1, 2025, established a rebuttable presumption that joint legal and joint physical custody, with approximately equal parenting time, is in the best interest of the child.
What this means for you
Maryland custody cases now start from a shared-parenting baseline. A parent seeking primary or sole custody must rebut the presumption, and the court must document its reasons for any deviation.
Oklahoma amended Title 43 (Chapter 24, Laws 2024), effective November 1, 2024, to set a preference toward joint custody and to require a court that declines joint custody to issue written findings of fact explaining the deviation.
What this means for you
Oklahoma custody decisions now lean toward shared arrangements, and a court ordering sole custody must document why joint custody was not appropriate.
Minnesota H.F. 3204, effective August 1, 2024, reformed spousal maintenance. It replaced the 'temporary' and 'permanent' maintenance labels with 'transitional' and 'indefinite' support and updated how courts set and revisit awards.
What this means for you
New Minnesota maintenance orders use the transitional and indefinite framework. The court's case-by-case analysis of need and ability to pay still drives the amount.
Utah HB 272, known as Om's Law, effective May 1, 2024, directs judges to prioritize child safety in custody decisions and to weigh evidence of domestic violence. It limits court-ordered reunification therapies that separate a child from a bonded parent, requires expert witnesses to be properly credentialed, and mandates child-safety and domestic-violence training for judges and court staff.
What this means for you
Utah custody cases now place greater weight on documented safety concerns, and courts face new limits on reunification treatments and new training requirements.
California Updates Spousal Support Guideline Factors
Effective January 1, 2024
California courts began applying updated interpretations of Family Code Section 4320 factors, placing greater emphasis on the supported spouse's ability to achieve self-sufficiency within a reasonable period. Courts are increasingly awarding time-limited support even for long marriages where the recipient has employable skills.
What this means for you
Alimony recipients in California long marriages may find duration awards shorter than under older interpretations. The emphasis on self-sufficiency means recipients should document any barriers to employment.
North Carolina Continues Debate on One-Year Separation Requirement
Effective January 1, 2024
North Carolina's one-year physical separation requirement before filing for divorce remains in effect as of 2026, despite ongoing legislative proposals to shorten or eliminate it. Several bills have been introduced in recent sessions but none have passed. The requirement remains one of the most restrictive separation prerequisites in the country.
What this means for you
People divorcing in North Carolina must still live in separate residences for a full year before filing. Monitor legislative updates if you are early in the separation period, as a change in this requirement would affect your timeline.
Texas updated its collaborative family law statutes effective September 2023, expanding the range of cases eligible for collaborative process and strengthening confidentiality protections for collaborative communications. The changes also clarify the process for transitioning out of collaborative process if it fails.
What this means for you
Texas divorces with complex assets or business interests now have a clearer collaborative divorce framework available. The expanded confidentiality protections make collaborative process more attractive for high-profile or high-asset cases.
Missouri SB 35, effective August 28, 2023, created a rebuttable presumption that equal or approximately equal parenting time is in the best interest of the child (RSMo 452.375).
What this means for you
Missouri custody cases now begin from a 50/50 baseline. A parent opposing equal time must rebut the presumption with specific evidence, such as documented domestic violence or an agreed parenting schedule.
Florida HB 1301 eliminated permanent alimony for all divorce cases finalized after July 1, 2023. The law caps alimony duration based on marriage length: no more than 50 percent of marriage length for short-term marriages (under 10 years), no more than 60 percent for moderate-term marriages (10 to 20 years), and no more than 75 percent for long-term marriages (over 20 years).
What this means for you
Anyone divorcing in Florida after July 2023 will receive or pay time-limited alimony only. Recipients who expected permanent alimony in long marriages will receive less total support than under prior law.
Florida HB 1301 also established a rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing (50/50) is in the best interest of the child. Courts must begin from an equal parenting time assumption and document specific findings to deviate from it. This represents a significant shift from Florida's prior best-interest analysis that carried no presumption.
What this means for you
Parents divorcing in Florida now start from an equal parenting time baseline. If you want more than 50 percent parenting time, you need documented evidence of why equal time is not appropriate for your child.
Illinois Continues to Refine Maintenance Formula Application
Effective January 1, 2023
Illinois courts continued refining how the statutory maintenance formula applies in cases with higher combined incomes. The formula applies up to a defined combined gross income threshold, above which courts use discretion. Recent appellate decisions have clarified how factors such as marital standard of living and earning capacity factor into discretionary awards above the threshold.
What this means for you
Illinois couples with combined income near or above the statutory threshold should expect outcomes to depend more on judicial discretion. Documenting marital standard of living and each spouse's earning trajectory is increasingly important for predictable awards.
New Jersey Courts Apply 2014 Alimony Reform to Long Marriages
Effective January 1, 2023
New Jersey courts continued refining their application of the 2014 alimony reform for marriages that were long-term before the reform passed. Appellate decisions clarified that the reform's cap on alimony duration (generally not to exceed marriage length for marriages under 20 years) applies to new divorce filings even where the marriage began before 2014.
What this means for you
New Jersey couples in marriages of 15 to 20 years divorcing now will receive alimony subject to duration limits under the 2014 reform. Alimony that would have been indefinite under pre-2014 law is now time-limited.
Pennsylvania Courts Emphasize Self-Sufficiency in Alimony Awards
Effective January 1, 2023
Pennsylvania appellate courts issued several decisions in 2022 to 2023 reinforcing that alimony in Pennsylvania should be rehabilitative where possible, emphasizing the receiving spouse's obligation to take steps toward self-sufficiency. Courts are increasingly scrutinizing whether recipients are making reasonable efforts to increase their earning capacity.
What this means for you
Pennsylvania alimony recipients who are capable of working should expect courts to consider their employability and efforts at self-support. Passive receipt of alimony without efforts toward self-sufficiency is increasingly questioned by Pennsylvania courts.
Kentucky Updates Child Support Guidelines for Equal Parenting
Effective July 15, 2022
Kentucky updated its child support guidelines to better integrate with its existing equal parenting presumption. The updated guidelines include a specific formula for calculating support when parenting time is equal or near-equal, reducing the financial burden on the parent with less income in shared parenting arrangements.
What this means for you
Parents in Kentucky with equal or near-equal parenting time will see child support calculated using the updated shared-time formula, which typically produces lower payment amounts than the prior guidelines did for shared arrangements.
Colorado updated its requirements for parenting plans submitted to family courts, requiring more specificity on decision-making for education, medical care, and extracurricular activities. Courts now review plans more carefully for completeness before acceptance.
What this means for you
Colorado divorcing parents must submit more detailed parenting plans than before. Vague plans that leave major decisions unaddressed will be returned for revision. Working with a family law attorney or mediator to draft a complete plan upfront saves time.
Georgia updated its mandatory parenting plan forms used in divorce and custody cases. The updated forms require more detailed provisions for technology use, travel, and notification requirements when either parent relocates. Courts began requiring the new forms for all cases filed after July 1, 2022.
What this means for you
Georgia divorcing parents must use the updated parenting plan forms. The new forms require more upfront decisions about technology, travel, and relocation that may reduce future disputes but require more thought at the time of the divorce.
Washington Clarifies Domestic Partnership Dissolution Procedures
Effective June 1, 2022
Washington updated procedures for dissolving registered domestic partnerships, aligning them more closely with divorce procedures and clarifying how community property rules apply to domestic partnership assets. The changes affect same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples over age 62 who registered domestic partnerships.
What this means for you
Washington domestic partners dissolving their partnership now follow procedures more similar to divorce. If your domestic partnership has significant shared assets, the community property rules apply in the same way they do to marriages.
Arizona Strengthens Equal Parenting Time Presumption
Effective January 1, 2022
Arizona courts reinforced the application of the equal parenting time presumption established in 2013. Appellate decisions in 2021 to 2022 clarified that the burden of proof to deviate from 50/50 parenting time rests squarely on the parent seeking deviation, and that general preference for more time is not sufficient grounds to deviate.
What this means for you
Arizona parents seeking more than 50 percent parenting time face a meaningful evidentiary burden. Documented safety concerns, documented history of involvement, or demonstrated impact on the child's schooling or wellbeing are the types of evidence courts look for.
Michigan updated its child support formula effective January 2021. The updated formula adjusted the income tables used to calculate base child support and refined how parenting time offsets are calculated for shared custody arrangements above 127 annual overnights.
What this means for you
Michigan parents with existing child support orders entered before 2021 may be eligible for modification review under the new guidelines. If parenting time has changed or income has changed, the updated formula may produce a meaningfully different result.
Tennessee Updates Child Support Guidelines for Shared Parenting
Effective January 1, 2021
Tennessee updated its Income Shares child support guidelines effective January 2021. The most significant change was a revised approach to calculating support in shared parenting arrangements, producing lower payment amounts in cases where parenting time is more equally divided.
What this means for you
Tennessee parents with equal or near-equal parenting time will generally see lower child support calculations under the 2021 guidelines. Existing orders entered before the update may be subject to review if the change would produce a different result.
This page tracks notable changes to family law statutes and court interpretations across the United States. We focus on changes that directly affect divorce costs, alimony, child support, property division, and custody outcomes.
Sources include state legislature websites, state court administrative offices, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and published appellate court decisions. We verify changes before listing them.
This estimate is for planning purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult a licensed family law attorney in your state for guidance specific to your situation.
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