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 Maryland, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which includes food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state uses a Child Support Guidelines formula to calculate the amount of support, which considers the income of both parents, the number of children, and the cost of health insurance and childcare. While the guidelines provide a framework, they do not explicitly list every child-rearing expense. For costs such as school supplies, health care, braces, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical care, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities, parents are encouraged to discuss and agree on how to handle these expenses. Childcare costs necessary for the custodial parent to work, train, or attend school can be factored into the child support calculation, potentially requiring the noncustodial parent to contribute to these costs. However, for expenses beyond the basic needs covered by child support, it is often up to the parents to negotiate and include these terms in their child support agreement or seek a court's decision if they cannot agree.