What expenses does child support cover?

When people go through a divorce in California in can be a difficult process as people need to separate a life they may have shared for many years. People need to split almost all aspects of their lives as well. They will have to change residences, but also all of the assets and property they acquired during the marriage will be split. If they have minor children they will also have to split their time with the children and their responsibilities for making decisions for their children.

They will also have to change how they provide for their children. The children’s needs will not change and those needs still cost the same amount that they did during the marriage. However, how the parents will provide for those needs will change. Parents will no longer share accounts and the children may be with one parent more than the other after the divorce as well. So, after a divorce one parent may be ordered to pay child support to the other to ensure both are contributing equally.

Child expenses covered by child support

The amount of child support that the parent will pay depends on the financial circumstances of the parents, but it is generally paid in the form of a monthly payment. These payments are designed to pay for the essentials such as food, clothing and a home and basic school supplies. The total child support obligation also includes payments for health insurance premiums. The child support may also state how the parents will pay for uninsured medical expenses, extracurricular activities of the children and childcare costs.

Raising children in California can be expensive, but it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that the children’s financial needs are being met. This is true whether the parents are married or divorced. However, how the parents pay those expenses changes after the divorce and many parents have child support obligations each month in order to contribute. Determining the amount a parent will pay can be complicated though and consulting with experienced attorneys could be beneficial.