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 Iowa, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which includes food, clothing, shelter, and education. The Iowa Child Support Guidelines are used to calculate the amount of support, which takes into account the income of both parents and the number of children. While the guidelines provide a framework for determining child support, they do not explicitly list all child-rearing expenses such as school supplies, health care, braces, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical care, transportation, daycare, sports, and extracurricular activities. However, additional expenses may be considered by the court on a case-by-case basis. Childcare costs necessary for the custodial parent to work, seek training, or attend school can be included in the child support order, and the noncustodial parent may be required to pay a portion of these costs, often 50%. To avoid conflicts, it is advisable for parents to discuss and agree upon how to handle these additional expenses and include such agreements in their child support order or parenting plan.