Alimony, sometimes referred to as spousal support, is the court-ordered money that one party pays to the other party for support while they are separated. Either spouse in a divorce can ask the judge to award alimony.The financial support can be granted temporarily while the divorce case is still in progress. To award alimony a court must find that one spouse has financial need and the other has the ability to pay. Spousal support (also known as "alimony") is when one spouse provides financial assistance (other than child support) to the other spouse. Because there is no formula or calculator to determine the amount of alimony. This page explains how property is divided in a divorce, including real estate, personal property, and retirement accounts. Both halves of a couple have the legal right to request alimony payments from the courts. The court in Salt Lake County will likely order them to pay spousal alimony in that case. Dealing with family law in the Salt Lake City area?