Knowing what child support is intended to cover and what it is not intended to cover can be helpful for both parents receiving and paying child support. Child support is intended for the support of children and children have a right to financial support from their parents.
Child support is intended to cover the daily needs and expenses of a couple’s children, but it also intended to cover other expenses as well. In addition to food, clothing and shelter, child support is intended to cover a broad range of expenses for the child. Child support expenses can include necessities, medical care, educational fees, college expenses, childcare, transportation expenses, extracurricular activities, and entertainment expenses.
Medical expenses that child support can cover can include uninsured medical costs that are sometimes referred to as extraordinary medical expenses. These can include the cost of a basic health insurance plan, co-pays, deductibles, and other medical expenses. If one parent has employer-sponsored health care coverage, then they will likely be required to carry their child. Additional medical expenses child support can help with can include surgery costs, braces, eyeglasses, casts, and other healthcare costs. Educational expenses that child support payments may cover include fees, textbooks, uniforms, and other education-related expenses.
Child support is important to ensure that children are properly supported and cared for as they grow up. It is, after all, an obligation of the child’s parents to provide for their financial support. Knowing what child support should be used for can help parents as the negotiate or modify their child support order and address any child support-related concerns they may have.