Alimony is essentially an allowance paid by one spouse to help support the other spouse, ordered and granted by a court during a legal separation or a divorce while other actions are pending. Not all states recognize alimony. In some states, alimony is also called maintenance or spousal support. One can receive alimony and child support at the same time. Alimony and child support are two different things. Alimony is for the spouse or ex-spouse and child support is for the children. In some states, the courts will take into consideration the amount of child support that is being paid when trying to determine how much the alimony payments should be. Depending on the state's laws, alimony can be awarded for a specified amount of time and/or until a specified event takes place, such as another marriage. Alimony can also be awarded in a lump sum amount. Usually the spouse who is considered to be the chief provider during the marriage is the one who will be ordered to pay alimony. It doesn't matter if it is the husband or the wife.