Glossary
Spousal support (alimony, maintenance)
Money one former spouse pays the other after a separation or divorce. The three words mean the same thing; which one your state uses is a matter of local drafting.
Spousal support, alimony and maintenance are three names for the same obligation, and a state generally picks one and uses it throughout its statute. Illinois and New York say maintenance, California and Florida say alimony, Texas says maintenance for the court-ordered kind and reserves alimony for what the parties agree between themselves. Nothing turns on the word. What does turn on the state is whether any formula exists. A small number of states compute a guideline amount by statute. A few more publish no formula but cap what a court may order. Most publish a list of factors and leave the amount entirely to the court, which is why an alimony figure produced without naming the state it came from is meaningless. Support is also distinct from property division, which divides what the couple already owns rather than redirecting future income, and from child support, which is calculated separately and belongs to the child.