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 Montana, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which includes food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state's child support guidelines are established to ensure that children receive adequate support from their parents. However, the specifics of what child support payments must cover beyond these basics can be less clear. Montana law does not provide an exhaustive list of child-rearing expenses that must be covered by child support. Expenses such as school supplies, health care, orthodontics, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical costs, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities are often not explicitly addressed in the statutes. Childcare costs are typically included in the child support calculation if the childcare is necessary for the custodial parent to work, attend training, or go to school. In such cases, the noncustodial parent may be responsible for a portion of these costs, which could be up to 50%. To prevent disputes, it is advisable for parents to discuss and agree upon how to handle these additional expenses and include such agreements in their parenting plan or seek a court order that specifies their responsibilities.