Child support is generally intended to help with the costs of raising the child—including food, clothing, shelter, and education—but laws vary from state to state and are often unclear on the extent to which child support payments are intended to help the custodial parent pay for half of school supplies, health care, braces, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical care, transportation (car), daycare, sports camps, cheerleading camps, school trips, social activities, and extracurricular activities.

Most state laws (statutes) don’t identify the specific child-rearing costs to which the custodial parent is required to contribute payment from child support and other resources—and because these issues are frequently the source of parental conflict, parents should identify all expected future costs and agree to the process for sharing them.

Childcare expenses incurred by the custodial parent are generally not required to be paid by the noncustodial parent in addition to child support—unless the childcare is required for the custodial parent’s work, training, or school—in which case the noncustodial parent may be required to pay for 50% of the childcare, for example.

In Alaska, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which includes food, clothing, shelter, and education. The Alaska Child Support Services Division (CSSD) enforces child support orders and assists with the establishment of paternity, child support obligations, and enforcement of payment. While the state guidelines provide a framework for calculating child support payments, they do not explicitly itemize expenses such as school supplies, health care, braces, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical care, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities. However, Alaska law does recognize that child support may need to cover extraordinary expenses, which can include some of the costs mentioned. These are typically addressed on a case-by-case basis. Childcare expenses necessary for the custodial parent to work, seek training, or attend school can be considered a shared expense, and the noncustodial parent may be required to contribute to these costs, potentially up to 50%. Parents are encouraged to discuss and agree upon the handling of additional child-rearing expenses to minimize conflict. If parents cannot agree, they may seek a court's intervention to determine the allocation of these costs.