Spousal support, maintenance, and alimony are often misunderstood and controversial. Some spouses want to use payment or non-payment of alimony as a means to punish the other. This is not the purpose of spousal support, nor will the court award or withhold spousal support as a punishment.
What may be colloquially referred to as alimony is known as maintenance or spousal support in New York courts.
Post-judgment spousal support, or maintenance, is paid to a spouse for support when the divorce case closes. Temporary (or pendente lite) maintenance is temporary support paid while the divorce case is pending. There is a formula to help judges determine spousal support in New York, but it is a guide from which judges may deviate by giving an explanation.