Calculating alimony is one of the most important tasks in Belarusian family law. Whenever parents live separately — whether after divorce, during marriage, or without ever being married — the child’s right to financial support must be protected. The underlying rules are set out in the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Marriage and Family, while the practical amounts depend on the subsistence minimum budget and the base value, which are adjusted by the Government throughout the year. This article explains how alimony is calculated in Belarus today, what the current reference amounts are, and when payments should be reviewed.
Different categories of alimony payments exist depending on the family situation. The most common is alimony for the maintenance of minor children. Such payments can be assigned by a court or agreed voluntarily between the parents.
Alimony is a regular monetary payment that one parent makes to the other to cover the child’s basic needs — food, clothing, medical care, education and everyday expenses. It is not merely a duty of the paying parent; it is a mechanism that guarantees the child a decent standard of living and development.
Alimony can also be awarded to a spouse in the event of divorce when one partner lacks stable income or the ability to provide for themselves, and to maintain disabled adult children or spouses in difficult circumstances. The amount depends on the payer’s income, the recipient’s needs and the overall financial position of the family. The detailed procedure is set out in the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Marriage and Family, which is regularly updated to reflect the current social and economic context.
A calculation is required in several typical scenarios.
Divorce or separation of parents. When the parents no longer live together and one has to support a minor child, alimony must be assessed. Importantly, alimony can also be claimed within an intact marriage, or outside of marriage entirely — as long as paternity is established on the child’s birth certificate.
A change in the payer’s income. If the paying parent loses their job, receives a significant pay cut, or, conversely, starts earning substantially more, the amount can be reviewed. The review must be initiated through the court that originally issued the decision.
The birth or adoption of subsequent children. New parental obligations usually justify a downward review of the alimony paid for the first child.
Support for a spouse. A dependent, pregnant, or incapacitated spouse may seek maintenance from the other spouse, both during marriage and after divorce.
Alimony must also be recalculated if the paying parent evades payment or if new circumstances arise that require adjusting the previously established amount. In practice, these are the situations where families most often seek professional legal advice.
Alimony can be calculated either according to the statutory rules of the Marriage and Family Code or on the basis of an agreement between the parents.
When alimony for minor children is collected through the courts, Article 92 of the Code applies. Payments are withheld monthly from the parent’s earnings and other income at the following rates:
For able-bodied parents without permanent employment, a floor is set based on the subsistence minimum budget per capita: at least 50% of subsistence minimum budget for one child, 75% for two children, and 100% for three or more children. The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection revises the subsistence minimum budget every quarter — on 1 February, 1 May, 1 August and 1 November — reflecting changes in consumer prices.
The current per capita subsistence minimum budget in Belarus is 530.37 BYN in July 2026. In practice, this means the minimum monthly alimony amount from an unemployed parent for one child is around 265.19 BYN; for two children, roughly 397.78 BYN; and for three or more children, 530.37 BYN. The exact figures should always be checked at the moment of calculation, as subsistence minimum budget is revised each quarter.
If the children live with each parent — for example, one child with the mother and another with the father — the less well-off parent may apply to the court to collect alimony as a fixed sum of money. The court determines the amount taking into account the statutory minimums and the parents’ financial and family status.
When the paying parent has an irregular income, is engaged in entrepreneurship or farming, or receives part of the earnings in kind, the court can award alimony in a fixed sum or in a number of base values (basic amounts). One base value in Belarus currently equals 45 BYN in July 2026. The same fixed-sum approach is used for alimony for adult disabled children.
Parents can also fix the amount of alimony in one of the following documents:
Mediation and settlement agreements are concluded in court; other agreements and a marriage contract are notarised. The amount agreed by the parties cannot be lower than the statutory minimum that would otherwise be collected through the court.
The Alimony Payment Agreement can combine several methods of payment: a percentage of income, a fixed periodic payment, a one-off lump sum, or even the transfer of property (including real estate) to the child’s ownership in lieu of future alimony.
Alimony is indexed automatically when it is set in base values and the base value is revised. If alimony is set in a fixed sum under an Alimony Payment Agreement, the agreement itself may specify the indexation mechanism; otherwise the court or the organisation withholding alimony recalculates the amount by reference to the new base value. Where alimony is set as a percentage of income, no separate indexation is needed — the amount rises and falls together with the payer’s salary.
The minimum amount is determined by the court on the basis of the Code’s rules described above. The Code does not impose a maximum ceiling on alimony as such — a high-earning parent may lawfully be required to pay a very substantial sum.
However, there is a limit on how much can be deducted from the payer’s income. The total amount of deductions from earnings for all reasons cannot exceed 70%. As a general rule, the payer must retain at least 30% of their salary and other income. This ceiling matters most where alimony is paid alongside enforcement of other debts.
Alimony is deducted from the payer’s total income and earnings, but certain payments are excluded:
In practice, the accountant at the payer’s workplace handles the calculation once a writ of execution or a court order arrives. The writ specifies the percentage that must be deducted. To calculate the amount to remit, the accountant sums all income items that count towards alimony, deducts income tax (typically 13%) and social contributions (typically 1% of accrued earnings), and applies the specified percentage — 25% for one child, and so on.
Employers must also comply with several procedural rules: they must start withholding the day after the writ is received, remit the funds within three days of paying wages, and notify the bailiff service of any change in the payer’s employment. Mistakes in the accountant’s calculation are a common source of disputes and can be addressed through an appeal to the bailiff or a specialist consultation. See our overview of how a child’s place of residence and contact are determined after divorce for related procedural context.
On the application of an interested party (the payer or the recipient), the court may reduce the amount of alimony in the following situations:
Conversely, the recipient can apply to increase alimony where the payer’s income has risen significantly, or where the child has additional and documented expenses (medical treatment, rehabilitation, education). Where alimony is denied or systematically underpaid, the recipient may also seek a debt collection order and enforcement measures. Our team assists with both directions of review — for detailed guidance, see our page on alimony collection from Belarusian citizens.
For families in a cross-border situation, additional considerations apply — including the recognition of foreign court decisions and international enforcement of alimony orders. These matters are handled together with related family law services, including the determination of the child’s place of residence and the participation of the non-resident parent in the child’s upbringing.
The statutory percentages of income (25% / 33% / 50%) do not change. What changes periodically is the base value, set by the Council of Ministers, and the subsistence minimum budget, revised by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection every quarter — on 1 February, 1 May, 1 August and 1 November. Minimum alimony amounts are recalculated with each subsistence minimum budget revision.
Yes and no. Parents can freely agree on the amount, but it cannot be lower than what a court would award under the statutory percentages. If it is lower, the agreement can be challenged and set aside.
Yes. An able-bodied parent without permanent employment must pay at least 50% subsistence minimum budget per child, 75% for two children, or 100% for three or more children — approximately 265, 398 and 530 BYN respectively at the current subsistence minimum budget level.
No. Alimony debts continue to accrue, and Belarus has instruments for the international enforcement of maintenance obligations. Payers permanently leaving Belarus must settle their alimony arrangements before departure.
Once the interested party files a claim, the court reviews the case as ordinary civil litigation. Timeframes vary by region and case complexity but typically run from two to four months.
Calculating alimony correctly is essential for protecting a child’s welfare and ensuring fair treatment of both parents. The amount depends on the payer’s income, the number of dependants, the child’s needs, and — where the calculation is based on subsistence minimum budget or the base value — the periodic updates issued by the Government of Belarus. Currently, the base value equals 45 BYN and the subsistence minimum budget stands at 530.37 BYN; both figures are subject to change and should be checked at the moment of calculation. If you need help calculating, collecting, or reviewing alimony, our team of Belarusian family law advocates can guide you through every stage of the process.
The issue of inheritance is one of the most relevant and significant aspects of civil law. Heirs are persons who receive the rights and duties of the deceased (testator) by the norms and rules established by law. But who exactly can be recognized as the heir? In this article, we will look at who the […]
The arbitration clause is the paragraph everyone skips at signing and everyone needs when something breaks. By the time you’re reading it carefully, the chance to fix it has passed. With a Belarusian counterparty, the dispute resolution clause shapes almost everything downstream: which forum has authority, what rules apply, where the seat sits, whose law […]
The Hi-Tech Park (HTP) in Belarus continues to be one of the most attractive jurisdictions in Eastern Europe for IT companies, startups and international tech investors. Established by Presidential Decree No. 12 of 22 September 2005, the Park operates under a special legal and tax regime that has been extended until 1 January 2049. The regime […]
