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State alimony comparison

Oregon vs Texas Alimony Laws

Compare Oregon and Texas alimony rules, formulas, duration limits, eligibility requirements, modification standards, and court discretion.
Reviewed by SettleCompass Research TeamUpdated June 2026Comparison guide
Educational content only

Recommended workflow

Compare the rules, then test the same facts in each state.

Start with the legal differences below, run one shared estimate scenario, then open each state guide for the detailed framework courts may apply.

Test scenarioOregon lawsTexas laws

Quick Comparison

Use this side-by-side data view as a starting point, then review the linked state law guides and calculators for deeper planning context.

FactorOregonTexas
Support termspousal supportspousal maintenance
Formula profilediscretionarylimited-cap
Property systemequitablecommunity
Legal frameworkTemporary spousal support may be awarded while the divorce case is pending to address immediate financial needs. Final spousal support is governed primarily by ORS § 107.105 and may be transitional, compensatory, maintenance-based, or a combination of support types.Temporary support may be awarded during the divorce proceeding under the court's equitable powers. Post-divorce spousal maintenance is governed by Chapter 8 of the Texas Family Code and is available only when specific statutory eligibility requirements are met.
Statute citationORS § 107.105; ORS § 107.135Texas Family Code Chapter 8 (§§ 8.001-8.305)

Best for

Relocation planning, negotiation prep, and state-by-state estimate checks.

Use with

Oregon and Texas calculators for same-fact estimates.

Remember

Support outcomes still depend on judge discretion, facts, and local procedure.

Same-facts estimate

Compare estimated support with one scenario

Use the same income and marriage facts to see how the planning estimate changes between Oregon and Texas. This is educational, not a court prediction.

Oregon

Conservative educational estimate based on need, ability to pay, income disparity, marriage length, earning capacity, marital standard of living, property division, education or training needs, career contributions, age, health, and Oregon statutory factors; no mandatory statewide formula applies.

Lower

$1,467/mo

Planning range: $954-$1,980/mo

Duration: Medium to long marriage

Oregon relies heavily on court discretion or limited eligibility rules, so this estimate should be treated as a broad planning range.

Texas

Conservative educational estimate based on minimum reasonable need and ability to pay, capped at the lesser of $5,000 per month or 20% of payer gross monthly income.

Moderate

$680/mo

Planning range: $544-$816/mo

Duration: 10 to under 20 years

Key Differences

Calculation

Oregon: Conservative educational estimate based on need, ability to pay, income disparity, marriage length, earning capacity, marital standard of living, property division, education or training needs, career contributions, age, health, and Oregon statutory factors; no mandatory statewide formula applies. Texas: Texas is a strict limited-eligibility maintenance state. Court-ordered spousal maintenance is not automatic and is available only if the requesting spouse lacks sufficient property to meet minimum reasonable needs and satisfies a statutory eligibility ground. Texas has no formula for the actual award amount, but it has a hard statutory maximum of the lesser of $5,000 per month or 20% of payer gross monthly income.

Duration

Oregon: Oregon has no fixed statutory duration formula. Transitional support is usually tied to a training, education, or employment transition period. Compensatory support depends on the amount, duration, and nature of the contribution and the expected benefit to the other spouse. Spousal maintenance may be for a specified or indefinite period. Long marriages with substantial dependency, age, health limitations, or limited earning capacity may support longer or indefinite maintenance, but no duration is automatic. Texas: Texas generally requires maintenance to last only for the shortest reasonable period that allows the recipient to earn enough income to meet minimum reasonable needs. Maximum duration is generally 5 years for family-violence eligibility cases or marriages of at least 10 but less than 20 years, 7 years for marriages of at least 20 but less than 30 years, and 10 years for marriages of 30 years or more. Maintenance based on the recipient's disability or care of a disabled child may continue as long as the qualifying condition continues, subject to review.

Modification

Oregon: Oregon support may be modified under ORS § 107.135 when a substantial change in economic circumstances justifies review, unless the judgment or agreement limits modification. The modifiability of an award may depend on the support type and the terms of the judgment. Texas: A maintenance order may be modified upon a material and substantial change in circumstances affecting either party. Any modified award remains subject to Texas statutory caps and limitations.

State Profiles

Oregon

Oregon uses the term spousal support and recognizes distinct statutory categories for transitional, compensatory, and maintenance support. Courts do not use a mandatory statewide formula and instead set support in a manner that is just and equitable under ORS § 107.105. Oregon's analysis focuses on training needs, career contributions, long-term economic fairness, and the financial circumstances of both spouses.

Eligibility: A spouse may qualify if the statutory factors support an award based on training needs, significant contributions to the other spouse's earning capacity, or ongoing maintenance needs. Courts evaluate marriage length, work history, financial resources, earning capacity, health, and the marital standard of living. Eligibility depends on the specific support category and whether the requested award is just and equitable.

CalculatorLaws

Texas

Texas uses the term spousal maintenance for court-ordered post-divorce support and imposes some of the nation's strictest eligibility requirements. Unlike many states, support is not presumed based solely on income disparity, and a spouse must first satisfy statutory eligibility thresholds before a court considers amount and duration.

Eligibility: A spouse generally must lack sufficient property after divorce to provide for minimum reasonable needs and satisfy at least one statutory ground. Common grounds include a marriage lasting 10 years or more combined with inability to earn sufficient income, a disabling condition, caregiving responsibilities for a disabled child, or recent family violence by the other spouse. The spouse seeking maintenance bears the burden of proving eligibility.

CalculatorLaws

Duration, Eligibility, and Modification

Duration Comparison

  • Oregon: 0-5 years, 5-20 years, 20 years to potentially indefinite maintenance
  • Texas: 0-10 years, 10-20 years, 20 years to statutory maximum duration

Eligibility Comparison

  • Oregon: A spouse may qualify if the statutory factors support an award based on training needs, significant contributions to the other spouse's earning capacity, or ongoing maintenance needs. Courts evaluate marriage length, work history, financial resources, earning capacity, health, and the marital standard of living. Eligibility depends on the specific support category and whether the requested award is just and equitable.
  • Texas: A spouse generally must lack sufficient property after divorce to provide for minimum reasonable needs and satisfy at least one statutory ground. Common grounds include a marriage lasting 10 years or more combined with inability to earn sufficient income, a disabling condition, caregiving responsibilities for a disabled child, or recent family violence by the other spouse. The spouse seeking maintenance bears the burden of proving eligibility.

Modification Comparison

  • Oregon: Oregon support may be modified under ORS § 107.135 when a substantial change in economic circumstances justifies review, unless the judgment or agreement limits modification. The modifiability of an award may depend on the support type and the terms of the judgment.
  • Texas: A maintenance order may be modified upon a material and substantial change in circumstances affecting either party. Any modified award remains subject to Texas statutory caps and limitations.

Oregon vs Texas Alimony FAQ

Why compare Oregon and Texas alimony laws?+

Alimony rules vary by state. Comparing two states helps readers understand differences in formulas, duration ranges, eligibility rules, modification standards, and judicial discretion before deeper research.

Are these comparison pages legal advice?+

No. SettleCompass comparison pages are educational planning resources only and do not replace advice from a licensed family law attorney.

Can the same income produce different alimony estimates by state?+

Yes. State formulas, income caps, duration rules, statutory factors, and judge discretion can produce different outcomes from the same basic facts.

What to review next

Oregon estimateRun the calculator with your income and marriage-length assumptions.Texas estimateCompare whether the same facts produce a different planning range.Common questionsReview legal-use limits and why two states may treat support differently.

Compare Estimates With the Calculator

Use state-specific calculator pages to model the same income and marriage-length assumptions across both states.

Oregon calculatorTexas calculator