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 Maine, child support is designed to cover the expenses associated with raising a child, such as food, clothing, shelter, and education. While the state's laws provide a framework for calculating child support payments, they do not typically itemize specific child-rearing costs. The Maine Child Support Guidelines are used to determine the amount of support, which considers the income of both parents and the needs of the child. Additional expenses, such as health care, dental care, and extracurricular activities, may not be explicitly covered by the basic child support order. However, Maine law does recognize that childcare costs necessary for the custodial parent's employment, training, or education can be factored into the child support calculation. This means that the noncustodial parent might be required to contribute to these childcare expenses, potentially up to 50%. To avoid conflicts, it is advisable for parents to discuss and agree upon how to handle the sharing of these additional child-rearing costs outside of the basic child support obligation.