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 New Mexico, child support is designed to cover a child's basic needs, which include food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state's child support guidelines aim to ensure that a child receives the same proportion of parental income that they would have received if the parents lived together. While the guidelines provide a formula for calculating child support payments, they do not explicitly list every expense that child support should cover. However, New Mexico law does recognize additional child-rearing costs, such as health care and childcare expenses, especially when these are necessary for the custodial parent to work or attend school. In such cases, the noncustodial parent may be required to share these costs, which can include expenses for health insurance, uninsured medical care, and work-related childcare. Parents are encouraged to discuss and agree upon how to handle the costs of extracurricular activities, school supplies, and other non-basic expenses to minimize conflicts. It's important to note that the specifics of each case can vary, and an attorney can provide guidance tailored to individual circumstances.