Understanding the Rules Governing Child Support and How You Can Use It
Raising a child is expensive. For primary custodians, that cost is even higher. When a child spends the majority of their time with one parent, that individual is responsible for more food, daycare, and leisure expenses. Luckily, the court recognizes this disparity in costs each parent is subject to and, as a result, will typically order the noncustodial parent to pay child support.
Child Support Expenditures
Child support payments account for three main types of costs. The assistance is intended to help a parent with primary custody of the child pay for:
These expenditures are necessary to fulfill a child’s basic needs. However, child support can be used for more than just food, clothing, and shelter. A parent could use child support for a variety of additional necessities and leisure activities for the child, including:
The Bottom Line
The custodial parent has the legal right to use the money how they see fit so long as they are still ensuring their child’s needs are fulfilled. This is because money is fungible or mutually interchangeable.
This means that if you use your $500 to pay your child’s school tuition and then later used $500 from your received child support to buy a new PlayStation, you still used the same amount to meet your child’s needs. It doesn’t matter if it was your dollar bill or the noncustodial parent’s.
If you have further questions regarding child support, our attorneys are available to help. Call us at (314) 648-2186 for a free 30-minute initial consultation to discuss your case today.
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