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 Washington State, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which includes food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state's child support laws are outlined in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 26.19. The guidelines provide a formula for calculating child support payments, which take into account the income of both parents, the number of children, and other factors. While the law provides a framework for the basic expenses, it does not explicitly list every specific child-rearing cost. For additional expenses such as school supplies, health care, braces, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical expenses, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities, parents are encouraged to discuss and agree on how to share these costs. Childcare expenses necessary for the custodial parent to work, seek training, or attend school may be shared, and the noncustodial parent could be required to pay a portion of these costs, often up to 50%. However, these arrangements can vary and may need to be addressed in the child support order or through mutual agreement between the parents. If parents cannot agree, they may seek a court's intervention to resolve the matter.