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 California, child support is designed to cover a child's basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state's guidelines for child support calculation consider both parents' incomes and the amount of time each parent spends with the child. While the law provides a formula for calculating support, it does not explicitly list every expense that child support payments must cover. However, California law does recognize that child support may include costs related to health care, including dental and vision care, as well as uninsured medical expenses. Childcare costs necessary for the custodial parent to work or to obtain training for work are also typically included in child support orders. Additional expenses such as extracurricular activities, school supplies, and other educational costs may not be specifically outlined in the statutes, but parents are encouraged to discuss and agree on how to handle these expenses, either through mediation or as part of their parenting plan. If parents cannot agree, the court may decide on a case-by-case basis. It's important for parents to clearly outline the handling of these costs in their child support agreement to prevent future conflicts.