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, 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.

Because child support obligations generally end when the child turns 18, moves to attend college, dies, or gets married, college expenses are generally not child support obligations. But because college tuition and the associated living expenses are substantial, some parents attempt to address these costs in divorce or other legal proceedings. Depending on the age of the child at the time of divorce and the parents’ financial resources, the funding of a 529 plan (qualified tuition plan) for the child is one option for parents to consider.

In California, child support is designed to cover a child's basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state's guidelines for child support do not explicitly list every expense related to raising a child, such as half of school supplies, health care, braces, dental care, uninsured medical care, transportation, daycare, sports and extracurricular activities. However, the court may consider these additional expenses when determining the amount of child support. Parents are encouraged to discuss and agree upon how to handle these costs, especially since they can be a source of conflict. Child support typically ends when the child turns 18, unless the child is still a full-time high school student, in which case support may continue until the child graduates or turns 19, whichever occurs first. College expenses are not typically included in child support obligations in California, but parents can plan for these costs through other means, such as setting up a 529 college savings plan during divorce proceedings or other legal agreements.