No, all three terms refer to the same thing. Whatever you call it, in New York, courts make an effort to ensure that the contributions made to a marriage by the spouse who wasn’t the “breadwinner” don’t go uncompensated if the marriage ends.
While one spouse may have outstanding achievements in the boardroom and a salary to match, the other is understood to have participated in that spouse’s success by caring for children, maintaining the home, and representing the higher earning spouse as a responsible and trustworthy member of a family.
These are intangible elements in a marriage, but when one ends, the spouse who provided these intangibles is considered to be due for tangible assistance in getting started in a new life after the divorce.
If you have questions about how spousal maintenance works in New York and how to protect yourself after a divorce, call the Queens divorce attorneys at Zelenitz, Shapiro & D’Agostino at 718-523-1111 today.