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 Oregon, 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 provide a formula for calculating the amount of support, which considers the income of both parents, the number of children, and the custody arrangement. While the guidelines aim to cover a broad range of the child's needs, they do not explicitly list every specific expense such as school supplies, health care costs, or extracurricular activities. However, Oregon law does recognize that additional expenses, like uninsured medical costs and work-related childcare, may need to be shared by the parents. For example, ORS 107.105(1)(d) allows the court to order additional amounts for childcare costs necessary for the custodial parent's employment or education. Parents are encouraged to discuss and agree upon how to handle these additional expenses and may include such agreements in their parenting plan. In cases where parents cannot agree, the court may decide how these costs are divided. It's important for parents to understand that the specifics of child support can be complex and may benefit from the advice of an attorney to navigate the legal requirements and ensure a fair arrangement.