What expenses does child support typically cover?

Child support generally covers basic needs like food, housing, clothing, and utilities, as well as medical expenses, educational costs, childcare, transportation, and extracurricular activities. The exact coverage depends on the state and the specific court order.

Does child support cover college tuition?

In most states, child support does not automatically cover college tuition. However, some states like New York, Massachusetts, and a few others may extend support obligations through college. Additionally, parents can agree to include college expenses in their settlement.

Are medical expenses included in child support?

Yes. Medical expenses are typically part of child support. This includes health insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and unreimbursed medical, dental, and vision expenses. These costs are usually divided between the parents proportionally to their income.

Can child support be used for rent or mortgage payments?

Yes. Housing costs are one of the primary expenses covered by child support. The custodial parent can use child support payments for rent, mortgage, utilities, and other housing-related expenses because the child benefits from having a stable place to live.

What is not covered by child support?

Child support does not typically cover expenses unrelated to the child, such as the custodial parent's personal debts, luxury items, vacations unrelated to the child's needs, or expenses for children from other relationships.

Do both parents share childcare costs?

Yes, in most cases. Work-related childcare expenses, such as daycare, after-school care, and summer programs, are typically factored into the child support calculation and shared between parents based on their respective incomes.

How do states differ in what child support covers?

States differ in which expenses are automatically included in the basic support calculation versus what must be addressed separately. Some states include all expenses in one amount, while others add specific add-ons for medical, childcare, and educational expenses on top of the base support.

What Is Included in Child Support? A Breakdown of Covered Expenses

What Child Support Covers

Child support is designed to cover the full range of expenses involved in raising a child. When a court calculates a child support amount, it considers the costs that parents would normally incur to provide for their child's needs if the family were intact. The resulting payment is meant to ensure the child's standard of living is maintained as closely as possible to what it would have been with both parents in the same household.

While the specific details vary by state, child support generally falls into two categories: basic support (a monthly amount intended to cover everyday expenses) and add-on expenses (specific costs that are divided between the parents in addition to the base amount).

Understanding what is included can help both parents set realistic expectations and plan their finances effectively. Use our child support calculator to estimate what your obligation might be.

Basic Needs: Food, Housing, and Clothing

The largest portion of child support goes toward the child's basic needs. These are the essential expenses that every child requires on a daily basis:

Housing

Housing is typically the single largest expense covered by child support. This includes:

Rent or mortgage payments for the child's primary residence
Property taxes and homeowner's or renter's insurance
Utilities such as electricity, gas, water, and trash service
Home maintenance and repairs
Internet and phone service that the child uses

The custodial parent needs a home with adequate space for the child, and child support helps ensure that the housing costs are shared between both parents.

Food and Groceries

Child support covers the cost of feeding the child, including:

Regular groceries and household food supplies
School meals and lunch programs
Baby formula, baby food, and special dietary needs
Snacks and beverages

Clothing

Clothing expenses covered by child support include:

Everyday clothing and shoes
Seasonal items like winter coats, boots, and swimwear
School uniforms, if required
Undergarments, socks, and accessories
Special occasion clothing

Children grow quickly and need new clothes frequently. Child support helps ensure these costs are shared equitably.

Medical and Healthcare Expenses

Medical expenses are a critical component of child support and are typically handled in one of two ways: included in the base support calculation or addressed as an add-on expense.

Health Insurance

One or both parents are usually required to provide health insurance for the child. The cost of the premium is typically factored into the child support calculation. If only one parent carries the insurance, the other parent's share of the premium cost may be deducted from or added to the base support amount.

Unreimbursed Medical Expenses

Costs not covered by insurance are shared between the parents. These include:

Co-pays for doctor visits and prescriptions
Deductibles
Dental care and orthodontics (braces)
Vision care, including glasses and contacts
Mental health services and therapy
Emergency room visits and urgent care

Most states divide unreimbursed medical expenses proportionally based on each parent's income. For example, if one parent earns 60% of the combined income, they would pay 60% of the uncovered medical costs.

Educational Expenses

Education-related costs are another important category covered by child support:

School supplies: Notebooks, textbooks, backpacks, calculators, and other materials
School fees: Registration fees, lab fees, activity fees, and technology fees
Tutoring: Academic tutoring or test preparation services
Private school tuition: In some cases, courts may order a parent to contribute to private school costs if the child was already attending private school before the separation
Special education: Costs related to individualized education programs (IEPs) or learning disability services

For school-age children, these expenses can be substantial, especially in areas with fees for extracurricular academic programs and advanced coursework.

Childcare Costs

Work-related childcare expenses are almost always included in child support calculations. These costs can be one of the largest line items, especially for young children:

Daycare: Full-time or part-time daycare for young children
Before and after-school care: Programs that care for children during parent work hours
Summer programs: Day camps and summer childcare when school is not in session
Babysitting: Occasional babysitting when the custodial parent needs to work
Nanny or au pair costs: In some cases, in-home childcare expenses

Childcare costs are typically shared between parents in proportion to their incomes, and they are usually added to the base support amount rather than included within it. These costs are reviewed regularly and can be modified as childcare needs change.

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities contribute to a child's physical, social, and creative development. While not always automatically included in the base support calculation, many courts consider these expenses to be legitimate child-related costs:

Sports: League fees, uniforms, equipment, and travel for games and tournaments
Music and arts: Instrument rental or purchase, lessons, art supplies, and recital fees
Dance and gymnastics: Classes, costumes, and competition fees
Clubs and organizations: Scouting, 4-H, debate club, and similar activities
Camps: Overnight camps, specialty camps, and enrichment programs

Whether extracurricular expenses are included depends on the state, the court's discretion, and whether the child was already participating in these activities before the parents separated.

Transportation Expenses

Transportation costs related to the child are included in child support in various ways:

Daily transportation: Costs of driving the child to school, medical appointments, and activities
Visitation travel: Expenses for transporting the child between parents' homes for visitation
Vehicle costs: A portion of gas, insurance, maintenance, and car payments attributable to transporting the child
Airfare: In long-distance custody arrangements, airfare for the child's travel between parents

When parents live far apart, transportation costs can be significant. Courts may order these costs to be shared, and they are sometimes addressed as a separate add-on expense.

How States Differ

While the general categories of covered expenses are similar across states, the specifics of how they are handled can vary:

Florida: Uses the Income Shares model. Basic support covers food, housing, clothing, and transportation. Healthcare and childcare are calculated as add-on expenses.
Texas: Uses the Percentage of Income model. The base amount is presumed to cover all ordinary expenses. Extraordinary medical and educational expenses may be added on top.
California: Uses a formula that includes mandatory add-ons for health insurance and childcare, plus discretionary add-ons for educational needs and travel expenses.
New York: The Child Support Standards Act specifies that the basic amount covers shelter, food, clothing, and other basic needs. Add-ons include healthcare, education, and childcare.
Illinois: Uses the Income Shares model with specific provisions for extracurricular activities, childcare, and medical expenses as add-ons to the base amount.

Court Discretion and Special Circumstances

Judges have discretion to include or exclude certain expenses based on the specific circumstances of each case. Factors that influence the court's decision include:

The child's standard of living before the separation
Any special needs the child may have
The parents' ability to pay
The child's age and developmental stage
Whether the family had established patterns of spending on certain activities

For example, if a child was attending private school before the parents separated, the court is more likely to include private school tuition as part of the support obligation. Similarly, if the child has special medical or educational needs, the court can order additional support to cover those costs.

What Is Not Included in Child Support

Child support is intended solely for the child's benefit. Expenses that are not considered child-related include:

The custodial parent's personal debts and obligations
Luxury items or vacations that do not benefit the child
Expenses for children from other relationships
Legal fees from the custody or divorce proceedings (though these may be addressed separately)
Gifts for the custodial parent's new partner or family members

For more details on how child support works, read our articles on what child support is and what child support is used for. To estimate your specific child support obligation, try our free child support calculator.