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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah updates alimony laws to factor tax consequences, remarried couples, and cohabitation rules
Last action · March 23, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Lincoln Fillmore and 2 others
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What This Bill Does
Utah law now requires courts to consider the tax consequences of alimony for both parties, aggregate the length of two marriages between the same individuals under certain conditions, and terminate alimony if the recipient s with another individual. The statute applies to divorce decrees and alimony determinations starting in May 2026.
Divorcing residents and alimony recipients or payers face altered legal standards for calculating alimony duration, factoring in tax burdens, and handling ation or remarriage timelines.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Alimony Payees
Recipients face mandatory alimony termination upon cohabitation and must factor tax consequences into award evaluations.
Alimony Payors
Payors gain specific statutory pathways to petition for alimony termination upon cohabitation and must account for aggregated marriage timelines and tax consequences.
State Courts
Judges are required to factor tax consequences, aggregate previous marriage durations under specific filing dates, and terminate alimony upon established cohabitation.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the law handle remarried couples who divorce a second time?
What happens to alimony if the recipient cohabits with another person?
Are retirement changes considered grounds for modifying alimony?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
55 actions- Mar 23, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ to Governor
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 2, 2026Senate SecretaryEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Mar 2, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 49 earlier actions
- Mar 2, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from Senate for Enrolling
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ concurs with House amendment
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on Concurrence Calendar
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 26, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 26, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 26, 2026HouseHouse/ substituted
- Feb 26, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 26, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0059S02
- Feb 26, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0059S02
- Feb 25, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0059S02
- Feb 25, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0059S02
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ substituted
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Substitute Recommendation
- Feb 20, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0059S01
- Feb 20, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0059S01
- Feb 19, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0059S01
- Feb 19, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0059S01
- Feb 18, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Feb 17, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 17, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 17, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 17, 2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
- Feb 13, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd reading
- Feb 13, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Jan 29, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Jan 29, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Jan 27, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Jan 20, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Jan 20, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 13, 2026SenateSenate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 13, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0059
- Jan 13, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0059
- Jan 7, 2026SenateSenate/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Dec 30, 2025Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0059
- Dec 30, 2025Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0059
- Dec 30, 2025Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Dec 30, 2025Legislative Research and General CounselBill Numbered but not Distributed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Tax Consideration and Marriage Aggregation
The legislation introduces explicit mandates for courts to weigh tax consequences and aggregate prior marriages between the same spouses when determining alimony duration.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy50Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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