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 Colorado, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of a child, which typically includes food, housing, clothing, education, and medical care. The state uses established guidelines to calculate child support, which take into account the income of both parents and the time each parent spends with the child. While the guidelines provide a framework, they do not explicitly list every child-rearing expense. Therefore, it is common for parents to encounter disputes over additional costs such as school supplies, extracurricular activities, and uninsured medical expenses. Colorado law encourages parents to reach an agreement on how to handle these additional expenses, and such agreements can be incorporated into the child support order. Regarding post-secondary education, Colorado does not generally require parents to provide support for college expenses as part of child support obligations, which typically end when the child turns 19 or graduates from high school, whichever occurs later. However, parents can voluntarily agree to contribute to a 529 plan or other college savings plan as part of their divorce settlement to address future higher education costs.